Is Jesus God? Did He ever claim to be God, or was He simply made God by the writers of the New Testament. When we examine the text of the New Testament, we find that Jesus intended that we understand He is the Eternal God.
John 14:8-10 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’?
The intent of Jesus statement here is clear; Jesus is the same as the Father in nature, existence, and will, and both are God. Later in John 10:10, Jesus repeated this statement when He told the Pharisees, “I and my Father are One.”
Until Jesus came in fulfillment of the Messiah, no one had ever seen God face to face. Moses had earnestly desired to see the face of God but was told by Him: No man can see My face and live.
Exodus 33:18-19 And Moses said, “Please, show me Your glory.” Then the Lord said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.”
Jesus came as God, veiled in human flesh, with the full intensity of God’s glory hidden within Jesus. If Jesus had removed the veil of His flesh to reveal to the world His full glory, the light of that glory would have consumed every person on the planet.
When Philip asked Jesus to show him the Father, Jesus said: He who has seen me has seen the Father. In other words: “Phillip, if you have seen me, you have seen God” (John 14:8-10, above).
See Rob’s book, “Why Jesus is God,” at Amazon
If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus. If you want to hear the words of God, listen to Jesus. The fullness of God is revealed in Jesus Christ, not in a mystical way but literally dwelling within Jesus. The mystery of the ages is that God could dwell within the body of a man.
1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.
We might consider how it is possible that the eternal God could become a human being. Not that it is too hard for Him, but how unreasonable it is for Him. Why would He bother? He has no need of us. He is not lacking in anything. He has no requirement for human fellowship. What was His reason for becoming one of us and dying in such a horrendous manner?
- Is Jesus God?
- Evidence That Jesus Clearly Declared He Is God
- Are Critics Right, Did Jesus Never Claim To Be God?
- The Greatest And Most Astute Scholar In History Said That Jesus Is God And Messiah
It Must Be That He Could Do Nothing Else
Everything that is good and right and perfect is complete in God. He can only perform those things that are a part of His perfect nature. He created the universe for the specific purpose of making an environment whereby He could display to the creation of earth; His great power and all of His wonderful attributes.
We imagine that because the universe is so immense and contains so much space with such a great number of possibilities for life, that there must be life in places other than earth. We are thinking as a man thinks, not as God thinks. God was not interested in seeding the universe with life; He was inspired to display His Glory to one specific creation, on one single planet.
Scientists generally agree that the environment necessary to make life possible is extremely rare and require a tremendous balance of certain conditions in order for life, as we know it here on earth, to be possible.
The Book of Romans describes the fact that God is known and understood by the things He has made.
Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead…
Jesus Confounded The Leaders Of Israel
When the Pharisees gathered before Jesus to question Him, it was with the intent of publicly discrediting Him before all those who were listening. Instead, these men were themselves confounded. The text that the Pharisees used to trap Jesus was a well-known verse from Psalm 110:1a.
In this portion of scripture, The LORD God is saying to the Messiah, “Sit at my right hand till I make your enemies my footstool.” The Pharisees believed that they already knew the answer to this question when they asked Jesus: “What do you think about the Christ (Messiah) Whose Son is He?” The Pharisees believed that the Messiah was the Son of David.
The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” ~Psalms 110:1a
Matthew Records This Event In His Gospel
While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” They said to Him, “The Son of David.” He said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying: ‘The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool” ’? If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his Son?” ~Matthew 22:41-45
Jesus asks the Pharisees, “If the Messiah is David’s son, then why did David also call Him “Lord?” In other words, how could the Messiah be both a human being (David’s son) and also Lord (God’s Son)?
These men knew and understood that this verse of scripture that Jesus referred to was about the Messiah. Only the Messiah could sit at the right hand of God. Jesus believed these verses from Psalm 110:1 were inspired by God and were true—as did these leaders of Israel. Jesus asked these teachers of the law how Messiah could be both God and a human being?
“If the Messiah is David’s son, how can He also be David’s Lord?”
This is precisely what this prophecy from Psalms 110:1a is predicting.
The Pharisees didn’t have an answer. They were bewildered, but not Jesus. The obvious answer to this question is that the Messiah will be both David’s Lord (God) and His, Son (a future human descendant), a fact that Jesus made repeatedly concerning Himself.
The reality that Jesus is both David’s son and his Lord is confirmed by Jesus’ question which He asks of the Pharisees. For those who say that Jesus never claimed to be God, this is one of many places where He clearly asserts that He is God.
When Jesus asks this question of the religious leadership of Israel, no one was able to answer Him. This is because it was generally accepted by the Jews that Psalms 110:1 was speaking of the Messiah who will also be God. If by David’s words, the Messiah is both a son and Lord, He must also be God and man.
The idea that God could be dwelling within the person of Jesus Christ was a reality that was totally unacceptable to the leaders of Israel. Yet, this is precisely what David was predicting when he penned Psalms 110:1.
With this in mind, it is reasonable to conclude that the purpose of life on earth, with its existence dependent on many finely tuned absolutes, is for the express purpose of displaying the power, beauty, order, design, and love of God.
This morning, I took a walk in the sunshine here in Paradise Valley, Arizona, where I live on occasion. I was awestruck by the tremendous beauty and wonder of living on a planet with such a perfect environment for my absolute enjoyment. People everywhere are consumed by their electronic gadgets and other material goods, while the greatest wonder is a bright sunny day against a deep blue sky, painted with green trees, majestic mountains and the vast diversity of life. The existence of God is displayed before us in everything that surrounds us—constantly. We know that the creator of iPhone exists because we are holding one in our hands. In the same way, on a much grander scale, we know that God exists because we see the work of His hands, as we observe His mighty creative power, while living on His earth.
Jesus said: “If you want to know what God is like, look at Me, listen to Me, and watch what I do.”
Jesus Came To Declare What God Is Truly Like
People will thank the trees for their shade, the clouds for their rain, and praise “mother nature” while being completely unaware of the great God who made all these things.
It is a tragic truth that once a person denies that God exists, he will set up other things in his life to adore. We were created to worship the true and living God, for this is our greatest purpose. When we refuse to acknowledge Him, the desire to worship remains.
Instead of worshiping the one true God, people begin to worship a god made in their own image:
- A job or career
- Money and material things
- Another person
- Pleasure and levity
- Self
All these things are counterfeits and empty substitutes for the deepest desire of our heart. This truth is hidden from us until we lay ourselves at the feet of the One who died for us. God has come and revealed Himself. He accomplished this revelation by Jesus the Messiah. Every person who surrenders their life to Jesus finds the purpose for which they were placed here on the earth.
Isaiah predicts and Jesus fulfills this 226th prophecy, by revealing who God is and what all of His purposes are for each one of us.
John 17:3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
Categories: God with us, Jesus is God, Jesus is the Messiah, The Claims of Jesus, The Existence of God
Robert Clifton Robinson 
Please see, "Guidelines For Debate," at the right-side menu. Post your comment or argument here: