Bible Question:
I keep being told that Jesus says directly that He is God. However, I cannot seem to find any verse that states it that emphatically. All I find are vague passages that could be possibly interpretted as Jesus saying so, but not that actual statement. Jesus seems to let listeners/readers THINK what they want rather than answer the question directly. Where can I find this famous verse??? |
Bible Answer: Greetings Ineffable Universe! Welcome to the forum! After reading your responses to the posts on this thread and your discussion about your screen name, I am not sure why you have asked this question since it appears that you already have your mind made up regardless of what Scripture actually says. However, I would summarize the Scriptural passages in the following ways. 1) What others said about Jesus! 2) What Jesus Himself said! 3) What others understood Jesus to be saying about Himself! Let's look at just a few examples of each. 1) This is by far the clearest category for a very simple reason. It was only after the resurrection of Christ that the disciples really began to understand who Jesus was - God in the flesh. The Jews had a concept of the Messiah (a political leader) which differed from the reality. So, what do others say about Jesus in the Bible? a) John 1:1 - "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." This Word is defined in v. 14 as the One who became flesh, in v. 15 as the one of whom John the Baptist testified (Jesus), in v. 3 as the Creator of all things, and in v. 18 as God. Clearly, this passage does not refer to 'sons of God', but to Jesus. To interpret it any other way is to strip written language of all meaning. b) Col. 2:9 - "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form," c) Phil. 2:5-11. d) Titus 2:13 - " while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ," These are just a few verses where Jesus is called God. 2) The claims of Christ Himself are a little more vague for one simple reason. People were not ready for this revelation. But, His claims are clear enough. Consider the following examples: a) All of the "I am" passages, where He equates Himself with the "I am" of Exodus. b) Mt. 13:41, where He speaks of His angels and His Kingdom. The angels are referred to elsewhere as the "angels of God" (Lk. 12:8-9; 15:10.) The Kingdom is repeatedly referred to in the Gospels as the "Kingdom of God." c) Christ’s claim to be able to forgive sins in Mark 2:5 equates Him with God. The Jews understood this for in v. 7 they say it is blasphemy because only God can forgive sins. d) In Mt. 25:31-46, Christ speaks of judging the world. A function which properly belongs only to God. e) In Mark 2:27-28, Christ claims to be "the Lord of the Sabbath." The Sabbath was instituted by God. Therefore, only God could abrogate or modify this regulation. f) In John 10:30, Christ claims to be "one with the Father." g) In John 14:7-9, Christ says that to see and know Him is to see and know the Father. h) In John 8:58, Jesus claims to be God and pre-existent. i) Christ accepted the attribution of deity made to Him by Thomas, when Thomas cried "My Lord and my God (John 20:28). j) He claimed to have power over life and death in John 11:25. Probably the most dramatic example is in Mt. 26:63-65, where under oath Jesus affirmed that He was the Son of God. He was then condemned for blasphemy. If the term 'Son of God' only meant a 'son of God', why was He condemned for blasphemy? 3) Finally, there are many examples of the Jews responding to Jesus' teachings in such a way that it is clear that they understood Him to be claiming to be God. The best example is John 5:18 - "For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God." So, the Bible is full of statements that Jesus is God (and this is only the NT). He said it under oath and alluded to it many times. The disciples, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit directly state it many times. And, even the Jews understood what Jesus was claiming and accused Him of blasphemy and eventually killed Him. We may choose to reject what Scripture affirms about Jesus, but we cannot deny what Scripture says. Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |