Matthew 16:13-17

¹³When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? ¹⁴And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. ¹⁵He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? ¹⁶And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. ¹⁷And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

This may be the most important question ever asked: Who is Jesus? Every person, at some point, must face it, whether they realize it or not.

Over the centuries many answers have been offered. He has been called a prophet, a teacher, a miracle worker, a political savior, a moral example, a social reformer, a highly evolved spiritual guide, even a spirit brother of Lucifer. Some simply see Him as a good man.

Scripture, however, does not leave Him in a category of human speculation. The purpose of this blog is to explore from the Bible what it teaches about the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, especially for those in Christian circles who are being led astray by false teaching, whether through deliberate distortion or sincere misunderstanding of the Text. The question is too important to ignore and the answer too vital to leave unclear.

For those who already hold the Bible to be true, I ask only this: as we examine the evidence, consider the arguments as a whole. Try not to disengage when a particular point feels weaker than you might expect. Often clarity comes not from one statement standing alone, but from the cumulative weight of the evidence taken together. For those that have no doubt about this, I urge you to read as well. There is encouragement for you as we venerate our Lord Jesus Christ.

1. Old Testament Prophecies Point to His Deity

We are familiar with Isaiah 9:6. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder:” And we can all collectively agree that this prophecy is made concerning the Lord Jesus (verse 7 makes this clearer). Verse 6 continues by saying “and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Here, the Lord Jesus bears the title of God.

In Micah 5:2, we see the eternal origin of the Savior. “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. In fulfillment of this prophecy, the Lord Jesus was born in Bethlehem Ephratah centuries later and came from the tribe of Judah. Yet His origin is not confined to the manger. It stretches back into eternity, from everlasting.

2. The Works of Christ Prove His Deity

• a. Creation and Sustenance

John 1:1-3. “¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²The same was in the beginning with God. ³All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Verse 14 of this chapter tells us that “the Word was made flesh,” and later in the chapter, the Word who was made flesh is identified by John the Baptist as the Lord Jesus Christ. We are also familiar with Genesis 1:1, which says, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” The Gospel of John reveals that the creation described in Genesis was accomplished through the Word, who is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Colossians 1:15-17. “¹⁵Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: ¹⁶For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: ¹⁷And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

Some may argue that the phrase “firstborn of every creature” means that Christ Himself is a created being, merely the first to be created. However, that is not what this passage teaches! The very next verse states that all things were created by Him. If Christ were Himself a created being, this would lead to an impossible conclusion, that Jesus created Himself. If He did not exist prior to creation, then creation itself could not exist.

Scripture clarifies this further in verse 18, where Christ’s being called “firstborn” speaks not of origin, but of preeminence. It is a title of supremacy and authority over all creation. Not only is the Lord Jesus the Creator of all things, He is also their Sustainer. As the passage declares, “By him all things consist.”

• b. Forgiving sins

Mark 2:5-7. “When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of palsy, Son thy sins be forgiven thee. But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God only?”

In one sense, the scribes are not entirely wrong. Isaiah 43:25 records the words of God: “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.” The answer to their question, “Who can forgive sins but God only?” is no one. Only God has the authority to permanently erase the record of sin.

What the scribes fail to recognize is that the One standing before them, who speaks forgiveness with divine authority, is God Himself.

• c. Authority of God

People often say, “Only God can judge me,” usually as a way to avoid accountability or deflect correction. That discussion is for another time. What Scripture makes clear, however, is that the authority to judge as God has been given to the Lord Jesus Christ.

John 5:22. “For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son

3. The Worship of Christ Demonstrates His Deity

It is inbuilt in the heart of man to worship. A person who refuses to worship God will inevitably direct that worship toward someone or something else. In the passage below, we see Peter—yes, a Jew, yes, an Apostle of the Lord Jesus (a topic for another blog, as there are no living Apostles today according to Scripture)—being worshipped by a man.

If you ever find yourself in a position, whether by your own rise or by the elevation others give you, where people seek to worship you, your response must be like Peter’s.

Acts 10:25-26. “And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet and worshipped him. But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man.”  

So if I should not worship man, what about an angel? Surely an angel deserves worship.

Revelation 22:8-9. “And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.”

The angel’s response makes it clear: “I am not a man, but I am thy fellowservant. You cannot worship me. Worship God.” So, I cannot worship man, and I cannot worship angels. But what about the anointed cherub that covereth, as in Ezekiel 28:14? Surely that is a step higher.

During the temptation of Jesus, this cherub offered the same challenge:

Matthew 4: 9-10. “And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”

The lesson is clear: man, angels, and cherubim are not worthy of worship. Only God is. If Jesus were not God and still accepted worship, He would be the greatest fraud, no different from Lucifer, who tried to entice mankind to worship him.

Yet angels are commanded to worship Him (Hebrews 1:6), and every knee will bow to Him—on heaven, on earth, and under the earth—everywhere (Philippians 2:10).

The Lord Jesus did not reject the worship of them in the ship, and Thomas

Matthew 14:33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying of a truth thou art the Son of God.

John 20:27-28. ²⁷Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless but believing. ²⁸And Thomas answered and said unto him, my Lord and my God

4. The Father Calls the Son “God”

Hebrews 1:8. “But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.”

If God the Father Himself calls the Son “God,” then what more is there to discuss?

5. It was God that was manifest in the flesh

1 Tim. 3:16. And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

When we compare Scripture with Scripture, we see that the Word, Jesus Christ, was manifest in the flesh, as described in John 1. 1 Timothy 3:16 makes it unmistakably clear that the One who was manifest in the flesh is God Himself. Jesus is God.

6. It was God that died on the Cross

1 John 3:16. Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

Who laid down His life for us? Jesus Christ. This verse makes it clear that it was God Himself who gave His life. Therefore, Jesus is God.

7. The Blood of redemption was God’s

Acts 20:28. Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

Notice carefully: who is the “he” that purchased the church of God with His own blood? God. And Scripture elsewhere tells us that we are redeemed by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Bible with Bible, Jesus is God.

8. No mere mortal could claim to be the Savior of man

Hosea 13:4. Yet I am the Lord thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but me: for there is no savior beside me.

This verse makes it unmistakably clear: there is no Savior apart from the Lord your God.

9. Religious leaders knew He claimed to be God

John 5:16-18. And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day. ¹⁷ But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. ¹⁸ Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.

John 8: 58-59. Jesus said unto them. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. ⁵⁹ Then took they up stones to cast at him:

You do not need to be an English scholar to notice that this sentence is grammatically unusual. Jesus is deliberately identifying Himself with the God who revealed Himself to Moses as “I AM” in Exodus 3:14. His Jewish listeners understood exactly what He was claiming, and their immediate response was to pick up stones to kill Him.

10. “Son of God” is God!

I have also heard the argument that Jesus is only the Son of God and not God. Consider this passage, which shows that claiming to be the Son of God is, in fact, a claim to be God.

John 10:30-33. ³⁰ I and my Father are one. ³¹ Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. ³² Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? ³³ The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man makest thyself God. ³⁴ Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? ³⁵ If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; 36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God.

The Jews were not trying to stone Him for His good works. They were accusing Him of blasphemy because, by calling God His Father and claiming to be the Son of God, He was asserting His own divinity.

I know this is longer than what I normally share, but I hope it has been deeply rewarding and encouraging. If it was not God Himself who paid the price for our sins, the righteous wrath of God would remain unsatisfied. Yet by believing that God, the Eternal Word, took on flesh, lived as a man, died, and rose again according to the Scriptures, we can receive eternal life. What a God! What a Savior!