God has revealed himself in the pages of scripture. We know that there is only one God, and He is three persons in one. The Trinity is revealed throughout scripture as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It’s not easy for our finite minds to grasp this truth, but God is so complex and deep that our human brains simply cannot always fully grasp everything about our eternal God.
Because we can’t fully grasp every truth revealed in the Bible some throughout history have wanted to change the truths about God revealed in the Bible to make it something they feel comfortable with accepting. This is dangerous and wrong as we are warned not to change or add anything to Gods word. Groups such as the Jehovah’s Witness and Mormons reject the historical Christian view of the Trinity and believe Jesus was created at some point but never always existed from eternity. It’s important to uphold the truth that Jesus has always existed and never was created and is fully God. Here is a a top 5 list of Bible verses that reveal Jesus as God.
#5. Matthew 28:8-9 (And many other verses where Jesus accepts being worshiped)
“So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. -Matthew 28:8-9 ESV
Here at the end of Matthew’s gospel after the resurrection Jesus meets Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph and they fall at their feet and worship Him! We know from many verses in the Bible it is only permitted to Worship the one true God alone. In Revelation when John went to worship an angel he was rebuked by the angel to only worship God
“I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.””-Revelation 22:8-9 ESV
Peter as well in the book of Acts chapter 10 also refuses worship
“When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am a man.””-Acts 10:25-26 ESV
But as you see Jesus accepts worship from these women in Matthew 28 and does not rebuke them. He also accepts the worship of these apostles. Revelation chapter 5 also has angels and elders worshiping Jesus. He accepts their worship for He is the true God of Heaven and earth.
#4. John 20:28
“Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!””-John 20:28 ESV
This verse in John chapter 20 has the apostle Thomas after witnessing the risen Jesus proclaim to Him that he is God! Jesus does not rebuke him but accepts the title of God. Remember the Bible proclaims there is only one God
“I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know me,”-Isaiah 45:5
So Jesus accepts the true statement of Thomas calling Him God. If He was not the one true God He would have certainly rebuked Thomas and corrected him, but he doesn’t and rightly accepts the true statement of His deity.
#3. John 8:58
“Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.””-John 8:58 ESV
In John chapter 8 Jesus is talking with the Pharisees about how they are not really children of Abraham but children of the devil. They showed by their actions and works that they were not children of Abraham. This angered them and they even got more angry when Jesus said Abraham rejoiced that he would see His day. They said to Jesus how is that possible since he is not even 50 years old, Jesus than replies “before Abraham was I am.”Jesus didn’t say “I was” or “I existed” but he says “I am” to quote from Exodus 3 when God tells Moses His name is “I AM.” Jesus was making the statement He is the great “I AM” of eternity, the God revealed in the scriptures. The Pharisees knew what he was saying as in the very next verse they pick up stones to stone Him. Anyone who says Jesus never declared He is God is wrong as it is clear He was making that statement here.
#2. John 1:1
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”-John 1:1 ESV
This verse that the apostle John opens his gospel up with is a clear reference to the triune God. In the beginning before anything was made the Word was there and He was not only with God but He WAS God! What an amazing statement. Later John proclaims Jesus is the word.
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”-John 1:14 ESV
So Jesus is of coarse the Word who became flesh in the incarnation. So back to verse 1 He is saying in the beginning was Jesus and He was WITH God and also WAS God at the same time. Remember the Bible is clear there is only one God and besides Him there is none other as He said in Isaiah 45. So how could Jesus be WITH God and also BE God? This verse in John is a reference to the trinity. It is so clear what John is saying the Jehovahs Witnesses in their own edited version of the Bible they change the wording in this passage and admit it. Of coarse we are warned to never change Gods word in the book of Revelation. Much of John’s book is dedicated to showing the deity of Jesus, and He opens His book up with these words that Jesus is God.
#1. Revelation 22:13
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.””-Revelation 22:13 ESV
This verse at the end of Revelation is one of, if not the clearest passage of Jesus deity. Jesus is speaking here and says He is the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last. He is quoting from Isaiah 44 when God in the Old Testament said this same thing.
“Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.”-Isaiah 44:6 ESV
God said this in Isaiah centuries before Jesus was born in the incarnation. He says He is The only God of eternity, the First one before all creation, before the universe was ever created. He even says in the same verse there is no other God besides Him.
Now pair that verse next to Revelation 22:13 where Jesus quotes this saying He is the “Alpha and Omega, the first and the last.” Applying it to himself. There can’t be two Alphas and Omegas or two first and lasts. The verse clearly says there is only one God. This as some of the other verses I pointed out before also points to the trinity. Yahweh in Isaiah 44 is saying He is the only God the first and the last, and Jesus says the same thing in Revelation 22. This is proving there is only one God that exists in three different persons, The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, who is called God in scripture as well.
Like many other topics in the Bible, if we don’t understand something or have difficulty with something we are not to change the words of scripture to fit our understanding. Instead we are to trust Gods word even if we don’t fully grasp something. God is so complex and His ways are so much higher than our ways that we should never expect to understand everything there is to know about God. What we are called to do is believe what He was revealed to us in His word and it is revealed that Jesus is God. Someone saying they worship Jesus who is not God but a lesser god or a created god does not have the true Jesus. Jesus is our great God and our savior. There are many other verses to point to in the Bible that reveal Jesus as God as well, these are just some of the most clear and powerful.
“while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,”-Titus 2:13
– Ryan Kaplysh