Where in the Bible Does It Say That Jesus Claimed to Be God?

How does one respond to a person who claims to be God? This is one of the vital questions we must ask about the historic figure, Jesus of Nazareth. There is no way to escape the fact that Jesus declared that He was, in fact, God in the flesh.

I and the Father are one. (John 10:30, NASB)

He who has seen Me has seen the Father… (John 14:9b, NASB)

Since Jesus claimed to be God, we have to judge his statements as either true or false – there is no middle ground.

The great British writer, C. S. Lewis, explained in his well-known book, Mere Christianity:

“A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher; he’d either be a lunatic – on a level with a man who says he’s a poached egg – or else he’d be the devil of hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God; or else a madman or something worse.”

“You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

So Jesus was either a madman, a liar, a myth, or He really was – and is – the Son of God.

Why It Matters That Jesus Is God

There are two reasons why Jesus was the only person qualified to die on the cross for the sins of every human being:

1. Because He was fully God.
2. Because He was fully human.

As God, Jesus was able to live a life without sin. No human being is able to do that.

As man, Jesus was qualified to take on the sins of his fellow human beings.

Jesus had to be both God and man at the same time in order to become the sacrifice for the sins of all mankind. That is why, when speaking of himself, Jesus often used the title ‘Son of Man’ (see Mark 2:10-11, Luke 9:22, Mark 8:31, Matthew 26:64, Luke 22:69).

However, Jesus also identified Himself as the Son of God. In John 8:58, Jesus exclaimed to the Jewish religious leaders, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” This was especially powerful as this is the name God had given to Moses to identify Himself in Exodus 3:14: “I AM who I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.”

It was clear to the Jewish religious leaders that by using the title ‘I AM,’ Jesus was calling Himself God – and they immediately tried to stone him for what they thought was blasphemy.

What If Jesus is God?

If Jesus is the Son of God – co-equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit – then we must carefully consider what He said about the salvation of mankind. Jesus made it clear that his death and resurrection is the only pathway to salvation.

I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. (John 14: 6, NLT)

It is a mystery to us, but the Bible reveals that God the Father loved the world in such a great degree that He sent His only Son – Jesus Christ – to bring salvation to man (John 3:16).

Your salvation doesn’t depend on how good or religious you are. It does not depend on how much you pray. It does not depend on any kind of religious duty, pilgrimage, or sacrifice on your part. Scripture makes this clear.

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23, NASB)

As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous— not even one. (Romans 3:10, NLT)

The bottom line is that we need a savior. As God, Jesus was able to live a sinless life. As a human, he was qualified to die in our place. All you must do to obtain this free gift of salvation is to believe he died for you and to receive it by a confession of that faith.

The Bible says that salvation is available if you will just believe, then receive.

If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9, NLT)

Do you want the gift of eternal life that Jesus purchased for you on the cross? Pray this prayer:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for sending your Son to die in my place. I ask you to forgive me for my sins. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that you raised Him from the dead. Come into my life and make me new. Help me to live for you. Thank you for your love, in Jesus’ name, amen.