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?

[myth-one.com]

[16] And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
[17] Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
[18] I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

Jesus is the truth.

So God who is a Spirit is a different being than God the Holy Spirit?

Only two body types are described in the Bible, natural or physical and spiritual:

There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. (I Corinthians 15:44)

And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; (I Corinthians 15:49-50)

If there are only two body types, and flesh and blood physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, then every being in Heaven is a spiritual being!

So yes, God the Father is a different spirit from God the Holy Spirit and God the Son. God the Father is presently in Heaven, Jesus is there with Him, and the Holy Spirit is here on the earth.

How can Jesus return at the Second Coming if He is here now?

Why do you have a problem with that? Assuming your quote above is from the Bible, did you notice that all three of the Trinity are mentioned? That is, they are individuals.

[Goat]

Jesus Christ is also addressed as the Son of God, the Word, the Savior, the Lamb of God, Teacher, and other names. The Holy Ghost is also called the Holy Spirit and Comforter. God is generally spoken of as God, God the Father, or simply Father. That is, all three are referred to as individual beings. That is, they are different persons. Many times, more that one of these three beings are referred to in one verse. For example:

So why is Jesus referred to as Everlasting Father?

He isn't!
Can you show us anywhere Jesus is called Everlasting Father?

He is probably yanking that from Isaiah 9:6, because 'Everlasting father' is one of the royal titles of Hezekiah and is often mistakenly used by Christians to refer to Jesus.

It is only one of the royal names of Hezekiah, which follows the Jewish tradition of giving names out that recite the attributes of God. It doesn't mean the person who has the name is God though.. that's just plain silly.

[InTheFlesh]

So why is Jesus referred to as Everlasting Father?

He isn't!
Can you show us anywhere Jesus is called Everlasting Father?

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.

And yes, this verse is def about Jesus.

Luke.24
[44] And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.

So where are the writings about Jesus in the Old Testament?

[Cathar1950]

So why is Jesus referred to as Everlasting Father?

He isn't!
Can you show us anywhere Jesus is called Everlasting Father?

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.

And yes, this verse is def about Jesus.

Luke.24
[44] And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.

So where are the writings about Jesus in the Old Testament?

No the passage was not about Jesus. The unknown author of Luke used the passage in Isiah but that was common to find Jesus in everything and ever passage. The Writer of Second Isiah was writing about a future and present king on David's throne and they were using royal ideology where the king/priest represents the god. This practice is seen in other ancient city-state where the king is also the son and Representative of their gods.

[InTheFlesh]

So why is Jesus referred to as Everlasting Father?

He isn't!
Can you show us anywhere Jesus is called Everlasting Father?

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.

And yes, this verse is def about Jesus.

Luke.24
[44] And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.

So where are the writings about Jesus in the Old Testament?

No the passage was not about Jesus. The unknown author of Luke used the passage in Isiah but that was common to find Jesus in everything and ever passage. The Writer of Second Isiah was writing about a future and present king on David's throne and they were using royal ideology where the king/priest represents the god. This practice is seen in other ancient city-state where the king is also the son and Representative of their gods.

It sounds as if you are describing Jesus to a T.

So what is written in the Old Testament about Jesus?

[bernee51]

So why is Jesus referred to as Everlasting Father?

He isn't!
Can you show us anywhere Jesus is called Everlasting Father?

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.

And yes, this verse is def about Jesus.

Luke.24
[44] And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.

So where are the writings about Jesus in the Old Testament?

No the passage was not about Jesus. The unknown author of Luke used the passage in Isiah but that was common to find Jesus in everything and ever passage. The Writer of Second Isiah was writing about a future and present king on David's throne and they were using royal ideology where the king/priest represents the god. This practice is seen in other ancient city-state where the king is also the son and Representative of their gods.

It sounds as if you are describing Jesus to a T.

Or any other claimed god/man/king

So what is written in the Old Testament about Jesus?

Absolutely nothing.

[InTheFlesh]

Do you realize that you are helping my case?

The fact that you say nothing is written about Jesus in the Old Testament
means that either Jesus is lying or he is the Father.

Luke.24
[44] And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.

[Scotracer]

Do you realize that you are helping my case?

The fact that you say nothing is written about Jesus in the Old Testament
means that either Jesus is lying or he is the Father.

Luke.24
[44] And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.

False dichotomy. There is also the option of his character being legendary, therefore he never said anything...and the stories written about him were never supposed to be literal in the first place.

[Cathar1950]

Do you realize that you are helping my case?

The fact that you say nothing is written about Jesus in the Old Testament
means that either Jesus is lying or he is the Father.

Luke.24
[44] And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.

That is not the only possibilities.
Jesus may very well have not said any such thing.
It reflects the ideas of the believers and they seem to think everything they read was about Jesus and this seems to fit the way the OT passages are used as prophesy; they are taken out of context and sometime the content doesn't even fit. But no it isn't your either or; they are many other possibilities.

[bernee51]

Do you realize that you are helping my case?

The fact that you say nothing is written about Jesus in the Old Testament
means that either Jesus is lying or he is the Father.

Luke.24
[44] And he said unto them, These are the words whicPh I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.

you gotta be kidding. I know you really believe all this stuff but can not even you see the possibility that this is a retrofit? 'Luke' write what he wrote about 'Jesus' in order to make the 'hero' more belivable to the audience.

I am constantly amazed by the apparent lack of depth of thought of the 'true believer'