Because of the evidence
There are three lines of evidence we will consider.
It was predicted by the prophets
Throughout the Old Testament, promises and prophecies were given of a Saviour who was going to come.[1] These prophecies provide a comprehensive description of this Saviour, and there is only one person in the universe who matches the profile – Jesus of Nazareth.
But these prophets were clear that this Saviour would be none other than God Himself. Here’s a sample of their statements:
For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.(Isaiah 9:6)
The child who was born at Bethlehem was the Son given by the Father. That baby was “Mighty God”.
Then in Malachi 3:1 we read Yahweh’s words:
“Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,” says the Lord of hosts.
John the Baptist was sent to prepare the way before God Himself.
Here is Zechariah 12:10:
And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.
God speaks of Himself as the one who would be pierced.
If Jesus did what the prophets said He would do, that’s a good reason to believe He is who the prophets said He would be.
It was claimed by the Christ
The Lord Jesus made claims to be equal with God Himself. He did it explicitly and implicitly.
He explicitly claimed deity when He said, “Before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58), or when challenged by the high priest at His trial:
Again the high priest asked Him, saying to Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?”
Jesus said, “I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”
(Mark 14:61-62)
The Lord claimed to be the Son of God, the divine Son of Man of Daniel 7:13-14, the Lord of Psalm 110:1 who shares God’s throne, and the One who comes on the clouds of heaven – something God does (Psalm 104:3). The high priest got the point, and condemned Christ for blasphemy. The Lord did nothing to clarify or correct the high priest’s understanding. No clarification or correction was needed – the man on trial for His life was claiming deity.
Again, He explicitly claimed deity when He linked Himself with the Father and Holy Spirit, saying They share the one divine name (Matthew 28:19).
He implicitly claimed deity by claiming:
- To forgive sins (Mark 2:5-12; Luke 7:36-50);
- To speak with His own divine authority. The Lord never said what the prophets so often said, “Thus says the Lord . . .” Instead, He said, “I say to you . . .” He referred to no one beyond Himself for His authority;
- To be present when two or three gather in His name (Matthew 18:20);
- To be the one who had appealed to Jerusalem down through her history, and saying He is the one under whose wings shelter is found (Matthew 23:37);
- To be with His disciples as they went throughout all nations until the end of the age (Matthew 28:20).
The record is clear. As another has said, “Jesus walked the earth like He owned the place.” He claimed deity, and I believe Him. You might say it’s unbelievable, but I would say the alternatives are unbelievable. The alternatives are that He was a liar or a lunatic.
It was announced by the apostles
Another reason I believe Jesus is God is because those who knew Him best believed He was. The first Christians proclaimed that Jesus was:
- The Originator of life (Acts 3:15);
- The Lord of glory (1 Corinthians 2:8; James 2:1);
- Our God and Saviour (Titus 2:13; 2 Peter 1:1);
- The true God (1 John 5:20);
- My Lord and my God (John 20:28);
- Yahweh (e.g., 1 Peter 2:3 with Psalm 34:8; Romans 10:13 with Joel 2:32).
They prayed to Him (e.g., Acts 1:24-25; Revelation 22:20), sang praises to Him (Ephesians 5:19); proclaimed Him worthy of worship (Hebrews 1:6). They treated Him like He was God.
These first Christians were God-fearing Jews. There is no way they ever would have honoured a man as God unless there was overwhelming evidence that He really was.
These are three strong lines of evidence that Jesus is God.
But there is another reason I believe it.
Because of the experience
There are many messages that present a merely human Jesus (e.g., Islam), and some that present a mighty angel Jesus (e.g., Jehovah’s Witnesses). But these versions of Jesus have no life-transforming power. Those versions of Jesus haven’t brought the believers into a real relationship with God.
The Jesus of the Bible – the one “who is over all, the eternally blessed God” (Romans 9:5) – is the one who is setting people free. Believers in that Jesus are the ones who are born again and brought to God.
Those other Christs have no power because they don’t exist.
Salvation can only be found in the real Christ. That’s why He said, “if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins” (John 8:24).
Accept no imitations. Make sure you have the real Saviour.
And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
(1 John 5:20)
