Did Jesus Claim to Be God? - Word Foundations

An Excerpt from “The ‘I Am’ Statements of Jesus in John: Clear Affirmations of Jesus’ Deity”

The article is available in its entirety here.

Did Jesus claim to be God? Any fair reading of the Scriptures will lead an honest inquirer to one conclusion and one conclusion only. Yes, Jesus absolutely did claim to be God, and both His allies and His enemies understood this. We could cite many more than five passages affirming this, but initially let’s consider these five:

- - Matthew 12:1-14
  - Matthew 16:13-17
  - Mark 2:1-12
  - Luke 20:9-19
  - John 5:18-23.

The Head of Christ by Warner Sallman, 1941

While Jesus didn’t in any of these accounts directly say, “I am God,” He said so using different words and by implication. For example, in numerous instances, Jesus claimed authority that only God possesses. One comes away from these biblical texts understanding that if Jesus were not God, He either was deluded, or He was a deceiver of the worst sort.

Yet the evidence indicates He was neither. He did not talk or act like a raving madman. Not at all! He was more than brilliant. He gave His critics responses that confounded and frustrated them. He was consistent in both His words and actions. Further, He spoke with a steady confidence that demonstrated He knew exactly who He was and what He needed to do.

Also consider seven “I am” statements made by Jesus and recorded in the Gospel of John. Each one of these represents a claim to be God, as well.

top image credit: The Jesus Film