There is a lot of disagreement about the identity of Jesus. Many say He was a good man, but just a man. (This claim obviously falls under its own weight since a good man would not make a false claim) Many others say He never claimed to be God. They may admit He said He was the "Son of God" just as we all are children of God; but, they say, He never claimed to be truly God.
To those who say Jesus never claimed to be God, I will respond with the Word of God, as did Jesus. Jesus told the resurrection denying Sadducees, "You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God" (Matthew 22:30). Those who deny the Deity of Jesus Christ are also mistaken because they do not truly know the Scriptures.
The Word of God clearly tells us that Jesus is God. It says in John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and was God." To clarify Who the Word is, it goes on to say in verse 14, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." The word glory comes from the Hebrew word Shekinah. It means the manifest presence of God. John was referring to the Transfiguration when Jesus allowed three of His disciples to see the radiant glory of His heavenly body.
The Word says He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin as it was prophesied by Isaiah (7:14) and restated in Matthew 1:23, "The virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated, God with us."
The prophecies concerning His virgin birth were fulfilled. He grew up in the village of Nazareth and then went to the Jordan to be baptized by John and start His ministry. At his baptism, the Spirit of God descended in the form of a dove and a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Matthew 3:16-17 This event displayed the Trinity in action to those with eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to understand.
True Israelites should have already had some understanding of Yehovah in His Tri-Unity because it had been witnessed since creation. The actions of all three are mentioned throughout the Old Testament and two passages even mention God's "Son." It was also the reason for the Shema prayer of Israel. Why would you need to continually declare your God is One unless it was to establish the unity of the Trinity? The majority of religious leaders had hardened their hearts to that truth and it caused them to reject their Messiah even though Jesus made the truth plain to them.
Jesus also spoke the truth to Satan but he missed it, as well. When Satan attempted to get Jesus to prove He was the Son of God by throwing Himself off the pinnacle of the Temple and letting angels rescue Him; Jesus responded, "It is written, 'You shall not tempt Yehovah, your God'" Matthew 4:6-7. Jesus was giving Satan two responses in one. First, Jesus let him know He, Himself, would not sin by attempting to tempt His Father. And, second, Jesus was showing Satan that He, Himself, (as Yehovah in the flesh) was not even tempted by the offer. As James 1:14 tells us, "God cannot be tempted to evil..." He has no sin nature to appeal to... no lust to draw Him to sin.
Now to get to the actual words of Jesus when He dwelt among men. Let's look at excerpts from John, chapter 10, verses 24-33. The Jews surrounded Jesus and asked Him if he was the Messiah. Jesus said, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works I do bear witness of Me... But you do not believe..." He continued with, "I and My Father are One." "Then the Jews took up stones to stone Him." So, Jesus asked them "...for which of those works do you stone Me?" The Jews replied, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make yourself God." Yes, they understood that Jesus was claiming to be God.
Continuing in verse 36, Jesus challenged their accusation of blasphemy. He said, "do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, I am the Son of God?" This exchange reveals clearly that Jesus claimed to be God because He is!
In John 11:25, Jesus told Martha, "...I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die." Of course, we understand that those who die in Christ will be resurrected, but what does He mean when He says, "whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die"? Is this a hidden reference to those who will be raptured? I believe it is! The bottom line here is that only God has the power to fulfill these statements; therefore, we can rest assured that Jesus is God!
Knowing Jesus is God doesn't mean we automatically understand how that works. Paul talked about the dual God/Man nature of Jesus as being a great mystery! There is no argument about the fact that it is complicated!
It helps if you insert the name of Jesus into this passage.
Jesus was manifested in the flesh. Jesus was justified in the Spirit. Jesus was seen of angels. Jesus was preached among the Gentiles. Jesus was believed on in the world. Jesus was received up into glory.
And, all of this is true because Jesus is God.
He was fully God in eternity past and, in agreement with the Father and the Holy Spirit, He chose to take on a flesh, blood and bone body to identify with His creation so He could live among us and die for our sins. He is fully God and fully Man now and for eternity. He wants those who trust Him as their Savior to live with Him forever in glory! Glory to the Godhead in the Highest!
Jesus, the Son of God, died for your sins and rose again.
If you believe He died for your sins, you are being drawn by the Spirit of God.
Confess that you are a sinner and don't want to live that way anymore.
Ask Jesus to take control of your life. He will!
Then tell someone that Jesus has saved you!
Rejoice! Pray! Read the Word of God.
Seek out fellowship.
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