I would like to show you through scripture that our Savior Jesus Christ is God. The nature of Jesus is both God and man. This is very important because believing in a different Jesus will not save you.
I am going to explain why it is important that you believe Jesus is God for salvation. I will show you in the Bible that Jehovah God and Jesus are equivalent. I will provide you with examples from scripture of those who believed Jesus was God. I will also show you the connection between worship and the deity of Jesus.
We all have a spirit living in a fleshly body. If we are saved when our body dies, our spirit goes to be with God in heaven and our physical bodies are buried. Our spirit and our physical bodies are separate, yet they are joined together while on earth. At the rapture, our spirit will be united with a new glorified and imperishable body (1 Corinthians 15:36-49).
Jesus has a spirit, but His spirit is different than ours. His spirit is Divine in nature, and His spirit was placed into an earthly body. Jesus is the Son of God; and as God’s son, He also holds God’s nature. Hebrews 1:3, “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature.” Jesus was the son of Mary; and as her son, He also has her nature. Philippians 2:5-7 says that Jesus holds the very nature of God and of man.
Jesus’ spirit is Divine because His Father is Divine just like an earthly child takes on the traits of his earthly father. We are also called children of God, but we are without His Divine nature because we are adopted into his family.
Ephesians 1:5, “He predestined us for adoption to son-ship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.” See also Romans 8:23 & 15 & Galatians 4:5.
The church is the Bride of Jesus. Jesus calls himself our bridegroom (Isaiah 62:5). When a bride gets married, she calls her husband’s parents Mom and Dad. It’s through the bride’s relationship with their son that she becomes their daughter. It’s through our relationship with Jesus that we become God’s child. God is not just any father in-law. He fully loves us and embraces us. He takes us in and adopts us as His very own. We can call him Father, and we become joint heirs with Jesus (Romans 8:14-17). We are not just a random bride Jesus picked up off the street. God created us specifically for His Son. Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you…” See also Psalm 139:13-14.
1 Peter 2:9, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession.”
Who we decide to marry will affect the rest of our lives. I’m going to give you a quick analogy of a kingdom to help show you the importance of marrying a Jesus who is Divine in nature over a Jesus who is not.
Jehovah’s Witnesses believe Jesus is our Savior, but they do not believe Jesus is God. They are engaged to someone named Jesus but not to the Divine King. The Bible says Jesus is the Prince of Peace and the King of Kings. If you want to live in the King’s palace and rule and reign with him when you have no royal blood, then you need to marry the prince who will become King (2 Timothy 2:12). We need to make sure we are engaged to the person with royal blood and not just to a commoner who shares the same name as the King; for a commoner possesses no authority in the Kingdom. This is like God’s kingdom. It’s important that you are betrothed to the Jesus of the Bible. The Son with the Divine Spirit and sinless blood and not just to any person named Jesus. 2 Corinthians 11:3-4 warns us that people can be deceived into believing in another Jesus, a different spirit and a different gospel.
Jehovah God is Equivalent with Jesus
The Bible says Jesus is Jehovah God. Some Bible translations will have the word Jehovah written as Lord. If the original word is Jehovah, I will put it in parentheses after the word Lord in those verses, so you know it is speaking about Jehovah God.
Every Knee Shall Bow
The Bible says it’s to God whom every knee shall bow, and tongue shall swear allegiance. In the Old Testament, Isaiah is saying it is Jehovah; and in the New Testament, Paul says Jesus is the one to whom every knee should bow and tongue confess.
In Isaiah 45:21, it says Jehovah God is speaking. He is calling Himself a righteous God and Savior. He is speaking in the first person.
Look what he says in Isaiah 45:23, … “To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.”
Paul explains the God Isaiah is talking about in Philippians 2:10-11. “At the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
30 Pieces of Silver
In Zechariah 11:4, it says Jehovah God is speaking. He is talking in the first person and is describing events that happened to Jesus.
Zechariah 11:12-13, … “So they paid me thirty pieces of silver. And the LORD [Jehovah] said to me, ‘Throw it to the potter’—the handsome price at which they valued me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter at the house of the LORD.”
Matthew says they paid 30 pieces of silver for Jesus. Matthew 26:14-15, “Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, ‘What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?’ And they paid him thirty pieces of silver.”
He Was Pierced
In this next example, Zechariah12:1 confirms Jehovah God is the one speaking and is referencing Himself as Jesus again.
Zechariah 12:10, “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced….”
Then in John 19:33-34, he says it was Jesus whom they pierced. A soldier pierced the side of Jesus. John 19:37, “And again another Scripture says, ‘They will look on him whom they have pierced.’”
My Messenger
In this next verse, Jehovah God is once again speaking in the first person, saying a messenger will prepare the way before him.
Malachi 3:1, “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me….”
Matthew tells us John the Baptist was the messenger who prepared the way before Jehovah. Matthew 11:10-11, “This is he of whom it is written, ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you. Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist.’”
First and Last
In Isaiah, Jehovah is addressing his redeemer as Jehovah. He refers to himself in the first person by saying I am the first and the last. This phrase is both used by Jesus and God the Father.
Isaiah 44:6, “Thus says the LORD [Jehovah], the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD [Jehovah] of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God besides Me.’” See also Isaiah 48:12.
Revelation 1:17-18, “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man and He placed His right hand on me, saying, ‘Do not be afraid. I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.’” See also Revelation 22:13.
Revelation 1:5-7 makes it clear that these next verses are referring to Jesus. Verse 8 says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’”
Made All Things
In Isaiah, Jehovah God is speaking and says that he made all things. John says Jesus made all things.
Isaiah 44:24, “Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer who formed you from the womb: ‘I am the LORD [Jehovah] who has made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who by Myself spread out the earth.’”
John makes it clear he is talking about Jesus in chapter 1. John 1:3, “All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.”
Lord of the Sabbath
In Deuteronomy, it says Jehovah God is Lord of the Sabbath, and Mark says it is Jesus.
Deuteronomy 5:14, “but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD [Jehovah] your God….”
Mark 2:28, “Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath.”
It is evident that the Bible states Jesus is the Jehovah of the Old Testament because Jesus is God.
Who Called Jesus God?
Thomas called Jesus God.
John 20:28, “Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’”
Peter called Jesus God
2 Peter 1:1, “Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ:”
Isaiah called Jesus God
Isaiah 9:6, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Matthew called Jesus God
Matthew 1:23, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel (which means, God with us).”
Paul called Jesus God
Titus 2:13, “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ. Don’t be confused by the word AND in-between God and Savior. Jesus is the God who will have the glorious appearing, and He is our Savior.” See Matthew 24:30 & 1 Timothy 6:14.
Matthew 24:30, “Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”
1 Timothy 6:14, “that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Romans 9:5, “…the Christ, who is God over all….”
Paul references Jesus being equal to God in Philippians 2:5-6, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it, not robbery to be equal with God.”
John called Jesus God
1 John 5:20, “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.”
Here is another reference by John in John 1:18. “No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.” Read also John 1-3 & vs 14.
John called Jesus the Word, and then references the Word as God.
John 1:14, “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 1:1-2, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.”
Jesus claimed to be God
The Jews wanted to stone Jesus because he was claiming to be God.
John 10:30-33, “I and the Father are one.’ The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, ‘I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?’ The Jews answered him, ‘It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.’”
Jesus again referenced Himself as God. Revelation 22:13, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
He is repeating what Jehovah God said in Isaiah 44:6. “Thus says the LORD [Jehovah], the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD [Jehovah], of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no God.’”
God and Jesus both call themselves by the name of God “I Am”
In Exodus 3 when Moses wanted the name of God, Jehovah God calls himself I Am.
Exodus 3:14, “God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ And he said, ‘say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
Jesus calls himself, “I Am.”
John 8:57-59, “so the Jews said to him, ‘You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.’ So they picked up stones to throw at him.”
John 8:24, “…for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” See also John 13:13.
Father God called Jesus God
Here is an excellent verse! Father God references himself as God and also references his Son as God. In this verse Father God is speaking to Jesus.
Hebrews 1:8-9, “But of the Son he says, ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God [Jesus], your God [The Father], has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.’” See also Psalm 45:7.
Psalm 110:1, “The LORD said unto my Lord, sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.” See also Acts 2:34-35.
Worship Belongs to God Only
Worship belongs to God and only God.
Exodus 34:14, “Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.”
Jesus supports this in Luke.
Luke 4:8, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.”
Based on these last two verses, we should see either one of two things:
- If Jesus is God
He will accept worship from others.
- If Jesus is not God
He will stop someone if they worship Him because they are breaking one of the Ten Commandments like John was stopped when he tried to worship an angel.
Revelation 22:8-9, “I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things and when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. But he said to me, ‘Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed the words of this book. Worship God.’”
So does it say if anyone worshiped Jesus? Yes!
Who Worshiped Jesus
The Wise Men Worshiped Jesus
Matthew 2:2, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
The Disciples Worshiped Jesus
Matthew 14:33, “Then, the disciples worshiped him. ‘You really are the Son of God!’ They exclaimed!”
The Blind Man Worshiped Jesus
John 9:38, “He said, ‘Lord, I believe,’ and he worshiped him.”
The Two Mary’s at the Tomb Worshiped Jesus
Matthew 28:9, “Suddenly Jesus met them. ‘Greetings,’ he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him.”
All God’s Angels Worshiped Jesus
Hebrews 1:6, “And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, ‘Let all God’s angels worship him.’”
Worship of Jesus was not turned down or forbidden because Jesus is God in the flesh. Jesus was considered God by many; he was worshiped, and Jehovah and Jesus are equivalent in the Word of God. I hope that through the Word of God you find your King of Kings and become betrothed to the correct Jesus.
Colossians 2:8-9, “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.”
Maranatha,
Jenny