In order for one to be a Christian, he must understand who Jesus is. The very word Christian, includes His name and means one who is an adherent of Christ. In this article we will note that Jesus is God.

Who is God? He is our creator (Psalm 90:2; Hebrews 3:4,11:3) eternal (without beginning or end -Psalm 90:1-2; Rom.1:20), omnipresent (everywhere - Psalm 139; Acts 17:34), omniscient (all knowing- Hebrews 4:13; 1 John 3:20), omnipotent (all powerful - Job 42:4; Mathew 19:26), and holy (1 Peter 1:15-16). These a but a few of the characteristics that describe God. Jesus Christ possesses each of these characteristics: He is our creator (John1:1-3), He is eternal ( John 8:23; Colossians 1:17; Revelation 4:11), He is omnipresent (Matthew 18:20), omnipotent (Philippians 3:20-21; Revelation 1:8), He is omniscient (John 1:48, 2:24-25), therefore He is God.

Jesus’ actions showed that He claimed to be God. He accepted praise and worship. Matt. 14:33 records one occasion after Jesus had walked on water ( a miracle), that those who were in the boat "came and worshipped Him, saying, ‘Truly You are the Son of God." A study of the Old Law shows that God condemned worshipping anyone other than Him. Jesus accepted worship on this occasion. After His resurrection, Thomas properly acknowledged him as, "My Lord and my God!" (Jn.20:28). The authority that Jesus claimed also points to His deity. In Mt. 28:18, Jesus said, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth...". Only God is worthy of such authority. Furthermore, He claimed the ability to forgive sins, a characteristic attributed only to God. Mark 2 records an occasion when Jesus forgave a paralytic before He healed him. He did it to prove His deity. In the process of this He was accused of speaking blasphemy because, "Who can forgive sins but God alone?" (2:7). Jesus then proceeded to prove that He was the Son of Man by healing the paralytic. This caused the crowds to marvel. (Mk. 2:1-12)

In addition to this while He was upon this earth, He claimed to be God. On more than one occasion, He claimed to be God. While discussing with the Pharisees Whom He was, he told them, "...If you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins." (Jn. 8:24). Later in the same discussion, He used the same expression to identify Himself as God saying, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM." (Jn.8:58). In both passages the expression "I AM" was a reference back to Jehovah’s answer to Moses when He called him to deliver the children of Israel from Egypt recorded in Exodus 3. Moses asks God when he went to Israel and Pharaoh and told them He had sent him, he wanted to know when, "they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them.?" God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM...Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, I AM has sent me to you." (Ex. 3:13-14). Thus, in John 8, Jesus was claiming to be God. In fact His response prompted the crowd to pick up stones to throw at Him because He claimed to be God. (vs.59). On another occasion, He said to His disciples, "He who has seen Me, has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father.’?" (John 14:9-11). Finally, when He stood before the Sanhedrin, one of the religious governing bodies of the Jews, He was asked point blank by the high priest, "Tell us is you are the Christ, the Son of God!" Jesus answered them saying, "It is as you said..." (Matt. 26:63-64) thus verifying that He was God. On all these occasions and many others we find that Jesus claimed to be God.

Now consider the consequences of what Jesus said and did. When He claimed to be God, He either spoke the truth, in which case, we acknowledge that He is God (this I accept) OR He was either a liar and deceiver or a lunatic, in which case He is not God. And if that is true, then nothing in the Bible is worthy of consideration. Are you willing to go that far? Are you willing to gamble your eternity on that fact. I choose to accept that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and thus worthy of our worship.

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