Does the Bible tell us that Jesus is God?
Jesus for Life
DID
JESUS
REALLY SAY
THAT HE WAS GOD?
Throughout the Gospel accounts of Jesus' time on earth,
we read that Jesus was very careful to avoid any public confession of His messiahship. This is because He knew that the expectation that the people had of the coming Messiah was that the Messiah would be an earthly King like David was, and would free Israel from the oppression of the Roman Empire. As a consequence, Jesus' public references to His messianic person were always oblique and indirect.
If the people understood Who He was, they
would most certainly want to make Him King, and so interfere with His
sacrificial mission of salvation.
(For example: "Jesus, knowing
that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a
mountain by himself." John 6:15 (NIV))
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi,
he asked his disciples,
"Who do people say the Son of Man is?"
They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say
Elijah; and still others,
Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
"But what about you?" he asked.
"Who do you say I am?"
Simon Peter answered,
"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Jesus replied,
"Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah,
for this was not revealed to you by man,
but by my Father in heaven."
MATTHEW 16:13-17 (NIV)
"Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a
prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but
you Jews claim that the place where we must worship
is in Jerusalem."
Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming
when you will worship the Father
neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.
You Samaritans worship what you do not know;
we worship what we do know,
for salvation is from the Jews.
Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true
worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth,
for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks.
God is spirit, and his worshippers must
worship in spirit and in truth."
The woman said,
"I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming.
When he comes, he will explain everything to us."
Then Jesus declared, "I
who
speak to you am he."
JOHN 4:19-26 (NIV)
"For the bread of God is he who comes down from
heaven and gives life to the world."
"Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread."
Then Jesus declared, "I
am
the bread of life.
He who comes to me will never go hungry, and
he who believes in me will never be thirsty.
But as I told you,
you have seen me and still you do not believe.
All that the Father gives me will come to me, and
whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For
I have come down from heaven not to do my will
but to do the will of him who sent me."
JOHN 6:33-38 (NIV)
Not until halfway through the Feast did Jesus go up to
the temple courts and begin to teach.
The Jews were amazed and asked,
"How did this man get such learning
without having studied?"
Jesus answered, "My teaching is not my own. It comes
from him who sent me. If anyone chooses to do God's
will, he will find out whether my teaching
comes from God or whether I speak on my own.
He who speaks on his own does so to gain honour for
himself, but he who works for the honour of
the one who sent him is a man of truth;
there is nothing false about him."
JOHN 7:14-18 (NIV)
"You are from below; I am from above.
You are of this world; I am not of this world.
I told you that you would die in your sins;
if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be,
you will indeed die in your sins."
JOHN 8:23, 24 (NIV)
"Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is
coming when I will no longer use this kind of
language but will tell you plainly about my Father.
In that day you will ask in my name. I am not
saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf.
No, the Father himself loves you because you have
loved me and have believed that I came from God.
I came from the Father and entered the world;
now I am leaving the world
and going back to the Father."
Then Jesus' disciples said, "Now you are speaking
clearly and without figures of speech. Now we can see
that you know all things and that you do not even need
to have anyone ask you questions.
This makes us believe that you came from God."
"You believe at last!" Jesus answered.
"But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be
scattered, each to his own home.
You will leave me all alone.
Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.
"I have told you these things,
so that in me you may have peace.
In this world you will have trouble.
But take heart!
I have overcome the world."
JOHN 16:25-33 (NIV)
I have spoken to you of earthly things
and you do not believe;
how then will you believe
if I speak of heavenly things?
No one has ever gone into heaven
except the one who came from heaven -
the Son of Man.
JOHN 3:12-13 (NIV)
The high priest said to Jesus,
"I charge you, under oath by the living God:
Tell us
if you are the Christ, the Son of God."
"Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied.
"But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man
sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One
and
coming on the clouds of heaven."
Matt 26:63-64 (NIV)