Did Jesus Say "I Am God"?

 

Muslims and deniers of the deity of Christ often will ask Trinitarians - "where did Jesus say I am God"? Or - "where did Jesus claim to be God?" They know that Jesus, in the four Gospels, did not explicitly say such. They think that this proves that Jesus did not believe nor claim that he was God. I do not have to go around saying "I am human" for people to know that I am such. Likewise, Christ did not need to go around saying "I am God" for his words and deeds spoke loudly. They also claim that Jesus never said "worship me." Nowhere, however, did Christ say "I am not God, don't worship me" either. They are wrong who say that Jesus never claimed to be God. Why? Because -

1) Christ proved his divinity by his deeds, by his miracles, by his sinless life, by his teaching, and finally by his resurrection from the dead and ascension into heaven, and actions speak louder than words

2) It was counter productive for him to go around saying "I am God."

3) Christ did say he was God by taking to himself divine titles, such as when he said (during his life)

- "I am the resurrection and the life" (John 11: 25)

- "I am the way, the truth, and the life"  (John 14: 6)

- "The Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" (Matt: 9: 6; Luke 5: 24)

- "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath" (Matt. 12: 8)

- "Before Abraham was I Am" (John 8: 58)

- etc.

4) Christ, after his resurrection and ascension, said

- "I am the First and the Last" (Rev. 22: 13)

- "I am the Alpha and Omega, the "Beginning and the End" (Rev. 1: 8; 22: 13)

- "I am the Almighty" (Rev. 1: 8)

5) Christ received worship and never refused it, such as when Thomas said to him

- "my Lord and my God" (John 20: 28)

6) Christ claimed to be the Son of God and equal with God

- "I am my Father are One" (John 10: 30)

- "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God" (said Peter; Matt. 16: 16)

The Jews rightly said that his claim to be God's Son made him God (John 10: 31-33)

7) Christ is the Creator of all things, therefore he is God

- "He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made" (John 1: 2)

- "For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible" (Col. 1: 16)

8) The apostles acknowledged that Christ was God

- "our great God and Savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 2: 13)

- "our God and Saviour Jesus Christ" (II Peter 2:1)

- "Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen." (Rom. 9: 5)

9) Even God the Father referred to Jesus as God:

“About the Son he says, ‘Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever’.” (Heb. 1:8; Psalm 45:6)

Here the "he" is God the Father and he calls "the Son" "God."

In the same context the Father says to the angels "let all the angels worship him" (Heb. 1: 6).

10) His name Immanuel proves that he is God:

"they will name him Immanuel, which is translated ‘God is with us'" (Matt. 1: 23-24).

Christ took upon himself the "form of a servant" when he was made flesh, and Paul says that Christ in his divinity as "the form of God" was not a thing to be "grasped" or "exploited" while in his earthly state of humiliation. Paul also said that he, prior to his incarnation as the "form of God," was "equal with God."

"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross." (Phil. 2: 5-8 nkjv)

Other translations give us these words:

"...did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a slave, by being made in the likeness of men..." (Legacy; LSB; etc.)

"...did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage..." (NIV)

"...who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited..." (Christian Standard)

"...counted it not a prize to be on an equality with God..." (English Revised)

"...did not reckon His equality with God a treasure to be tightly grasped..." (Weymouth)

In all four Gospels, and in the writings of the Apostles, Christ is declared to be God. In the Gospels, his claims to equality with God are more subtle and indirect. But why? The above text tells us why. It was because he did not "consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage." It was part of his humility to act this way.

The Lord Jesus Christ proved who he was by his power and holiness, and by his resurrection from the dead. So Paul wrote:

"Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead." (Rom. 1: 1-4 nkjv)

Not only was his power and holiness and resurrection evidence of his divinity and equality with his Father, but even the Father bore witness to the divine Sonship of Jesus. When Christ was baptized by John the Baptist, we read where the Father spoke from heaven, saying:

"This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (Matt. 3: 17; Mark 1: 11; Luke 3: 22)

Also, when Christ was on the mount with Peter, James, and John, he was seen in his divine glory, and we again hear the Father say:

“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” (Matt. 17: 5; Mark (9: 7; Luke 9: 35)

For these reasons the rhetorical question posed by Muslims and other deniers of the deity of Christ is not any proof that Jesus was not God the Son. The fact is, he did say and demonstrate that he was God in the flesh.