The deity of Jesus has long been a subject of debate. Whether he is God, a prophet, or an extraordinary man, we all now can do our own research with the help of internet and come to the right conclusion. To me, it is final: Jesus Christ is God. And because he is divine, he has all the power to manifest himself into anything he wanted. The history tells us that God has incarnated himself in a man – and his name is Jesus. That’s why Christians believe that Jesus is not only 100% God, but also 100% man.
I have written about the similar topic in the past, such as 7 Reasons to Believe in Jesus, Happy Ascension Day of Jesus Christ!, The Attributes of Jesus in the Bible, and some other articles that are pretty long to read. This time I’m going to share the brief one with a hope that you would have time to read it. Feel free to give comments, feedback, or even rebuttal later, if you like. So, let me start here.
These days this Bible verse has reminded me over and over again:
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
(Hebrews 13:8)
I believe it’s not a coincidence that the above verse has existed in the Bible. So now, what is the connection of that verse with the deity of Jesus? Or the more straightforward question is perhaps, “Why is Jesus the same yesterday, today, and forever?” and to me the simple answer would be, “Because it is the sign of his deity.” Let me explain shortly.
We all know that everything in nature undergoes a change. You may have heard a saying, “Just like seasons, people change.” So, is it counter-intuitive to believe that only Jesus does not change while all else changes? Well, the answer is (again) simple. If you are already perfect, you won’t need to change. The fact that we all change reveals our imperfectness. In other words, since we are all imperfect, we need to change – we need to (learn to) be a better person each day. And that is not a bad news because that means we are all in the journey of transformation to be the better version of ourselves. It’s exactly what Paul the Apostle says, showing the contrast nature between humans (imperfect, flawed, need for change) and God (perfect, flawless, no need for change):
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
(Romans 12:2, ESV)
I hope you see it clearly now. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever because he is perfect already. He doesn’t need to change. He just “can’t” be better. He has already had all the power, all the knowledge, and all the presence. Why? Because he is God.
We humans do change, but Jesus God doesn’t.
Now, the question is not whether or not Jesus is God, but whether or not we believe in him.
A reflection on Monday night,
Vancouver, January 14, 2019
Pearls of Mind 
But I still feel doubt. As I cannot find in bible unambiguous statement that Jesus says: “I am God” or worship me. If he is really god, why he never say it clearly in Bible?
What you said here only ambiguous statement.
in John 5:30 New International Version (NIV):
“By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me”.
question: Who sent Jesus according to this verse?
John 20:17: Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God”.
question: So, here Jesus said: …, to my God and your God. according to this verse, Jesus has God.
Dear dd, I appreciate your comments. Here you demand “exact words” to believe a claim. However, just because you couldn’t find Jesus’ precise statement, “I am God, worship me” doesn’t nullify his deity. You won’t find either Jesus ever said, “I am not God, I am just a prophet, do not worship me” to prove his humanity. I believe Jesus is the most humble person ever lived. He didn’t consider his equality with God something to be used for his own advantage (Philippians 2:5-7). He often referred to himself as the Son of God or the Son of Man, and I think that’s his humble way to approach mankind. Imagine you have a boss/king saying, “Hey, I am your boss/king, serve me”, would you think he is a humble or arrogant person?
Even though Jesus did not say the precise words on his identity as God, but he has demonstrated the works that only God can do, as well as, the attributes that only God can have. For example: Jesus is the first and the last (the beginning and the end), Jesus has an authority to forgive sins, Jesus is our final judge, Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, Jesus raises the dead and resurrected from the death, Jesus does not refuse worship from his disciples, and many more evidence interestingly confirmed not only in the Bible but also in Quran.
There are many good resources available online, so we are lucky today to live in this generation. Among them, I would further suggest the following video from David Wood in addressing your question: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sS-lLTfCI7c&t=16s and I can also share many more references if you like.
Really hope that you will find the answer that you’ll no longer feel doubt about the deity of Jesus. God bless you.
Hi Philip,
Many thanks for your response.
Regarding son of god, many other men also mentioned on bible that they are son of god. But why they were not gods? actually the term of son of god is the culture of Jews people to show that the person is really close to the God. If you study bible well, you can find many.
For me, still, mentioning he is God is a basic foundation for every religion. not about humble or arrogant. you already made statement that many confusions among christians, because there is no statement from Jesus. and you know, that we can say it in humble way. forexample if you are the high level people, and you want to introduce yourself to other people (let say other people dont know you) at business meetings/conference, etc, you will say your name and your profession. this does not mean to be arrogant,right?
Go back to the 2 verses that I mentioned before, Jesus mentioned:
judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me”. From my point of view, it is clear that he mentioned only please to the one who sent him, not him (Jesus).and it is clear that Jesus has God. and he himself not god. If you think Jesus is God, then, who sent him? himself?
Then, If he says: I go to my God. so, it is very clear that he has God.
Otherwise you believe if there is another God.
Regards,
DD
Hi DD, glad you’re willing to discuss further. It at least shows me that you’re taking your belief (faith) seriously.
In response to your question about the title “son of God”, in fact even the Bible says that believers are called the children (the sons) of God (1 John 3:1). But clearly we are not God because we are not omnipotent, omniscient, nor omnipresent. While Jesus said in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”, referring to himself as “the only Son”, meaning there is no one like him. You’ll find in the Bible that Jesus is actually omnipotent (Matthew 28:18, John 5:24, 17:2), omniscient (Matthew 9:3-4, Luke 9:46-47, John 2:23-25), and omnipresent (Matthew 18:20 and 28:20, John 3:13).
If you think the precise claim “I am God” is important, then do you think that would settle the matter? Can we guarantee that if Jesus openly said, “I am God”, the whole world would simply trust in him? If Jesus, having claimed himself as the Son of God, had been crucified on charges of blasphemy, how would he die if he claimed himself as God? Believing Jesus as God is really a matter of faith, and that reveals the issue of our heart.
Saying our names and professions when we meet new people is just normal and I think that’s a bit different analogy than claiming oneself God (the Creator of the universe).
Regarding the two verses you mentioned, I would answer by giving the following illustration. Imagine a heavenly being (superstar) who has all power and is all-knowing coming down to earth to reach lowly creatures (say human being), what would be the most reasonable way to communicate with them? Would he speak to the human in “heavenly languages” or “earthly languages”? Of course the latter, isn’t it? Thus, we see that while on earth, Jesus positioned himself in a humble way that is “reachable” by humanity.
A lot of people have also questioned why Jesus said, “My Father is greater than I” (John 14:28) if he also claimed, “I and my Father are one.” (John 10:30). These two verses, although seemed contradicting, can be interpreted as the way Jesus described himself as “equal to the Father as touching his Godhead, and inferior to the Father as touching His manhood” [The Athanasian Creed]. Would that be possible? Well, because Jesus is the Almighty, there is nothing too hard for him.
Hope I’m answering your questions. God bless you, DD.
Regards,
Philip
God bless you Philip Wijaya
Pingback: The Parallel Divinity of Jesus Christ and Jehovah God – Pearls of Mind