In the Bible, did Jesus claim to be God?

[GentleDove]

In Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis wrote this about Jesus (emphasis mine):

• "I am trying to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: "I am ready to accept Jesus as the great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God." That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic - on a level with the man who says he is a boiled egg - or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."

Some debaters on the site have written that Jesus did not claim to be God and/or Biblical authors did not claim that Jesus was God.

Yet, it is an orthodox Christian doctrine, claimed to be Biblically-based, that Jesus was man and God in one person.

Questions for debate:

In the Bible, did Jesus claim to be God?
Did the Biblical authors claim that Jesus was God?

[Goat]

In Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis wrote this about Jesus (emphasis mine):

• "I am trying to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: "I am ready to accept Jesus as the great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God." That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic - on a level with the man who says he is a boiled egg - or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."

Some debaters on the site have written that Jesus did not claim to be God and/or Biblical authors did not claim that Jesus was God.

Yet, it is an orthodox Christian doctrine, claimed to be Biblically-based, that Jesus was man and God in one person.

Questions for debate:

In the Bible, did Jesus claim to be God?
Did the Biblical authors claim that Jesus was God?

There are phrases that mainstream Christianity attribute to Jesus that they interpret him saying he is God. There are various sects that claim to be Christian that disagree.

Same thing with the Biblical authors. Most Christians will say yes, a minority will say no. There is no place that the words can not be interpreted in more ways than one.

[McCulloch]

In the Bible, did Jesus claim to be God?

Not directly.

Did the Biblical authors claim that Jesus was God?

Not unanimously. The writer of John's gospel and the epistles attributed to Paul seem to. There is very little evidence elsewhere. For such a radically important change from the beliefs of Judaism, the silence on this topic is deafening.

[InTheFlesh]

In Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis wrote this about Jesus (emphasis mine):

• "I am trying to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: "I am ready to accept Jesus as the great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God." That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic - on a level with the man who says he is a boiled egg - or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."

Some debaters on the site have written that Jesus did not claim to be God and/or Biblical authors did not claim that Jesus was God.

Yet, it is an orthodox Christian doctrine, claimed to be Biblically-based, that Jesus was man and God in one person.

Questions for debate:

In the Bible, did Jesus claim to be God?
Did the Biblical authors claim that Jesus was God?

YES and YES!

Either Jesus is God
or he's the biggest liar.

[McCulloch]

YES [In the Bible, Jesus did claim to be God] and YES! [The Biblical authors did claim that Jesus was God?]

I don't believe you. Perhaps you could cite the passages where these claims can be validated.

Either Jesus is God
or he's the biggest liar.

C.S. Lewis did not write any of the Bible.

[InTheFlesh]

YES [In the Bible, Jesus did claim to be God] and YES! [The Biblical authors did claim that Jesus was God?]

I don't believe you. Perhaps you could cite the passages where these claims can be validated.

There are plenty.
Chew on these!

John.14
[7] If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
[8] Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
[9] Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

John.20
[28] And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
[29] Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

[Goat]

YES [In the Bible, Jesus did claim to be God] and YES! [The Biblical authors did claim that Jesus was God?]

I don't believe you. Perhaps you could cite the passages where these claims can be validated.

There are plenty.
Chew on these!

John.14
[7] If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
[8] Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
[9] Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

And, how do the Arian's interpret that passage??


Even Trinitarians acknowledge Jesus was not
he Father, but he so reflected the Father's
character, that to observe and learn of him was
antamount to observing and learning of the
Father. Literally, of course, "no man has seen
God at any time" (1 John 4:12).

John.20
[28] And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
[29] Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

And, some arian commentary on this is

The word theos is broad enough to denote any
mighty being. Strong's definition (number
2316) is "a deity, espec. the supreme divinity;
fig. a magistrate." Vine's Expository Dictionar
says "The word is used of Divinely appointed
judges in Israel, as representing God in His
authority, John 10:34, quoted from Psa. 82:6."
(Similarly, the Old Testament word "Elohim" i
translated "judges" in Exodus 21"6, 22:9) 2
Peter 1:1 and Titus 2:13 are other scriptures
which may apply this word to Jesus. Thomas
did not think Jehovah, the unseen God, was
standing before him.

[InTheFlesh]

YES [In the Bible, Jesus did claim to be God] and YES! [The Biblical authors did claim that Jesus was God?]

I don't believe you. Perhaps you could cite the passages where these claims can be validated.

There are plenty.
Chew on these!

John.14
[7] If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
[8] Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
[9] Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

And, how do the Arian's interpret that passage??


Even Trinitarians acknowledge Jesus was not
he Father, but he so reflected the Father's
character, that to observe and learn of him was
antamount to observing and learning of the
Father. Literally, of course, "no man has seen
God at any time" (1 John 4:12).

No man has seen God?

Gen.32
[30] And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

And what about Moses?

Deut.34
[10] And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face

Exod.33
[11] And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.

[Cathar1950]

YES [In the Bible, Jesus did claim to be God] and YES! [The Biblical authors did claim that Jesus was God?]

I don't believe you. Perhaps you could cite the passages where these claims can be validated.

There are plenty.
Chew on these!

John.14
[7] If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
[8] Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
[9] Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

And, how do the Arian's interpret that passage??


Even Trinitarians acknowledge Jesus was not
he Father, but he so reflected the Father's
character, that to observe and learn of him was
antamount to observing and learning of the
Father. Literally, of course, "no man has seen
God at any time" (1 John 4:12).

No man has seen God?

Gen.32
[30] And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

And what about Moses?

Deut.34
[10] And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face

Exod.33
[11] And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.

Obviously the Bible has contradictory ideas.
In the NT we have largely the Gospel of John which hardly corisponds to the others even if you read and interpret it with The unknown author of John's high Christology. The whole Bible certainly doesn't say Jesus is God.

[InTheFlesh]

The bible does not contradict.
The Word of God
is sharper than any two edged sword.
It has two angles
that form one SHARP point.

So what is your excuse for this Old Testament scriptue?

Isa.9
[6] For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.