by Mark Tossell

Is Jesus Christ God?

He is either a lunatic, a liar, or He is Lord !

“Is Jesus Christ God?” is one of the foremost questions looming in many people’s minds today.

Many are confused as to who He really is. Some say that He was certainly a “good man”, or a “good teacher” that did many “good things”, but God? In John chapter three of the Bible, a man named Nicodemous thought like that too.
But are they right? Was Jesus just a “good man” of the past or is He not only the Son of God, but God the Son?

To get the truth of the matter, we must go to God’s Word, the Bible.

Here is a Biblical explanation of this subject written by a great missionary Pastor in the nation of Australia, Brother Mark Tossell…

Here are 20 Scriptural reasons why we know that Jesus Christ is God:

1) Isaiah calls Jesus Christ “The mighty God” and “The everlasting Father”.

Isaiah 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, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

This Scripture is a well-known prophecy concerning the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. In this passage, we see Jesus first referred to as a child, then as a son with great authority. Jesus is, in the very same sentence, then referred to as “The mighty God” and “The everlasting Father.” This verse alone is sufficient to show the indisputable deity of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2) The titles of “Alpha and Omega,” “the beginning and the ending” and “the first and the last” are applied to both Jesus Christ and God the Father.

God the Father is given the title of “Alpha and Omega,” “the beginning and the ending” and “the first and the last:”

Revelation 1:8 “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”

Isaiah 41:4 “Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he.”

Isaiah 44:6 “Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.”

Revelation 21:5-7 “And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.”

The Lord Jesus Christ is also given these very same titles, proving that He is indeed God:

Revelation 1:11, 12, 17, 1 8 “Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”

Revelation 22:12, 13, 16 “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.”

3) Jesus Christ is called an exact copy of God the Father.

Hebrews 1:1-3 “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;”

Colossians 1:15 “Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:”

The Son, our Lord Jesus, is here called “the express image of his [God the Father] person.” What does this term “the express image” mean? The Greek word used is χαρακτήρ, or charakteôr, which means literally “an exact copy.” Revered scholar, Albert Barnes, defines this word as follows:

The word used here (χαρακτήρ) likewise occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. It is that from which our word “character” is derived. It properly means a “engraving-tool;” and then something “engraved” or “stamped”—“a character”—as a letter, mark, sign. The image stamped on coins, seals, wax, expresses the idea: and the sense here is, that if God be represented under the idea of a substance, or being, then Christ is the exact resemblance of that—as an image is of the stamp or die. The resemblance between a stamp and the figure which is impressed is exact; and so is the resemblance between the Redeemer and God; see Col. 1:15. “Who is the image of the invisible God.”

How can Jesus Christ be an exact copy of God the Father if Jesus is not divine? The only logical way that Jesus Christ can be a perfect image of God the Father is if Jesus Christ is God clothed in human flesh.

4) Jesus Christ is called God by the writer of Hebrews.

Hebrews 1:8 “But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.”

If God here calls His Son “O God,” then surely it is logical to infer that Jesus Christ is God – else we make God the Father to be a liar. To say that Jesus is not God is to blatantly ignore the plain, clear teaching of this Scripture, and many others like it.

5) Jesus Christ is worshipped by the angels of God.

Only one Being in all the universe is to adored and worshipped – the Creator God:

Matthew 4:10 “Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”

Then is it not interesting to note that the angels of God worship Jesus Christ, the Son of God?

Hebrews 1:4-7 “Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? And again, when he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.”

Either Jesus Christ is God, or the angels commit a sin in worshipping Him. Notice also, that when people worshipped the Lord Jesus during His earthly ministry, He never rebuked them for doing so:

Matthew 8:2 “And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.”

Matthew 9:18 “While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live.”

Matthew 14:33 “Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.”

6) Jesus Christ claimed to be one with God the Father.

John 10:30-33 “I and my Father are one. Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, Many good works have I showed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.”

If Jesus Christ and the Father are one being, how can Jesus Christ not be God? Even the unsaved Jews had the sense to understand that Jesus’ claim to be one with the Father was a claim that He was God!

7) He that has seen the Son has seen the Father.

John 14:7-10 “If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. 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, Show us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.”

Even a simple child could infer from this passage that the Father and the Son are the same Person, else how could the Lord Jesus say, “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father?”

8) Jesus Christ and God the Father are both entitled the Saviour of the world.

Isaiah 45:21, 22 “Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.”

Luke 1:47 “And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.”

1 Timothy 1:1 “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope;”

Luke 2:11 “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”

John 4:42 “And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.”

Consider the analogy of algebra: If “a = b” and “b = c”, then logic dictates that “a = c”. Therefore, if “Jesus Christ = The Saviour” and “Jehovah God = The Saviour”, then “Jesus Christ = Jehovah God”. If there is only one Saviour, and both Jesus Christ and God are said to be Saviour, then the only logical conclusion is that Jesus Christ is indeed God.

9) Jesus Christ assumes the title of God the Father when He calls himself, “I am.”

Exodus 3:13, 14 “And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.”

John 8:58 “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.”

John 8:24 “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.”

Jesus Christ cannot truthfully take on God’s title of “I am” without being God Himself.

10) Jesus Christ is Lord – and there is only one Lord: the Creator God, Jehovah.

Zechariah 14:9 “And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.”

1 Corinthians 12:3 “Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.”

Ephesians 4:5 “One Lord, one faith, one baptism,”

There is only Lord over all creation: God the Creator. But, Jesus Christ will one day be acknowledged by all men as Lord. How can this be, except that Jesus Christ is the Lord God? Else, Jesus would steal a title that belongs to the Father only.

11) The throne of God the Father and of Jesus Christ are synonymous.

Revelation 22:1-4 “And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.”

The Lamb’s throne (Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God) and God’s throne are one and the same. This is impossible, for two men cannot sit simultaneously one throne – unless those two men are one.

12) The title “The Holy One” is applied both to Jesus Christ and to the Father.

Isaiah 30:15 “For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.”

Acts 2:27 “Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.”

Acts 3:14 “But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;”

Once again, the use of a Divine title for Jesus Christ is clear evidence of His Deity.

13) Thomas referred to Jesus Christ as “my God.”

John 20:26-29 “And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”

Why did Jesus Christ not rebuke Thomas for calling Jesus “My Lord and My God?” The answer is because Jesus Christ accepted the title as being true and right – He is Lord and He is God!

14) Jesus Christ is acknowledged by the apostle John as Creator.

Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”

John 1:1-3 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

Revelation 19:11-13, 16 “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God…And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

If all things were made in the beginning by Jesus Christ, the Word, then does that not mean that Jesus Christ is the Creator God?

15) John the Baptist prepared the way of the LORD Jehovah: Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 40:3-5 “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD [Jehovah], make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.”

Matthew 3:1-3 “In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord [Jesus], make his paths straight.”

Isaiah predicted by the Spirit that a man would one day cry in the wilderness and prepare the way of the Lord Jehovah. When John the Baptist fulfilled this prophecy, he prepared the way for Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. Therefore, the Lord Jesus Christ is Jehovah God.

16) The Redeemer of the LORD is the LORD of Hosts, Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 44:6 “Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.”

Titus 2:13, 14 “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”

1 Peter 1:18, 19 “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:”

Isaiah says that the redeemer of the Lord Jehovah is the Lord of hosts (God the Father). The New Testament teaches very clearly that Jesus Christ is the Redeemer who purchased our souls with His own blood. Thus, Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, is the Lord of hosts.

17) Jesus Christ is called “the great God and our Saviour”

Titus 2:13, 14 “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”

God is an invisible Spirit whose throne is in Heaven. We know that His Son, Jesus Christ, will one day return to earth and set up His Kingdom. When Titus talks of the “glorious appearing of the great God,” he cannot be referring to God the Father appearing, because the Father will not visibly appear to us on earth. Rather, when Jesus Christ returns, that will be “the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour.” Therefore, Jesus Christ is called “the great God and our Saviour.”

18) To look to the Father, or to the Son, is the Way of Salvation.

Isaiah 45:22 “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.”

John 3:14, 15 “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

Isaiah tells us to look to the Father for salvation, whereas John tells us to look to the Son for salvation, just as the dying Jews looked to the brass serpent upon the pole for healing. Are there two ways of salvation? No – to look to the Father is to look to the Son, and vice versa, because the Son and the Father are One.

19) Jesus Christ is eternal.

We know that God is eternal – He has no beginning or ending, and no origin. He is the only eternal One.

1 Timothy 1:17 “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

We also know that the Son of God is eternal:

John 8:58 “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.”

Hebrews 7:3 “Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.”

If Jesus Christ is eternal, then that makes Him God the Son, for only the Lord God is eternal.

20) The Lord Jesus Christ appeared to Ezekiel and spoke to him as “the LORD God.”

Ezekiel 1:26-2:4 “And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it. And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about. As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake. And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee. And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me. And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day. For they are impudent children and stiff hearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD.”

Revelation 4:2-4, 10, 11 “And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold…The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”

Who was this glorious Man who sat upon a great throne and spoke to Ezekiel? Ezekiel chapters one and two, together with Revelation chapter 4, make it clear that this Man was the Lord Jesus Christ. After Jesus spoke to Ezekiel and sent Ezekiel to the people of Israel, He says of His own words, “Thus saith the Lord GOD.” Jesus Christ therefore appeared to Ezekiel and spoke to him as God, asserting His own deity.

Conclusion:

Yes, the Scriptures are very clear: Jesus Christ IS God. The only way to avoid the conclusion that Jesus Christ is divine is to twist, distort, and misinterpret the clear and obvious teachings of God’s Word. Of course, the cults, liberals and heretics are experts at such deception! Their eyes and minds are blinded by the Devil, and their hearts are hardened to the truth of the Word. They have rejected the truth, so God has allowed them to believe a lie – the lie that Jesus Christ is a created being, and not the eternal Son of God.

2 Corinthians 4:3, 4 “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”

2 Thessalonians 2:11, 12 “And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

My friend, do you believe that Jesus Christ is the divine Son of God, the Saviour who died for your sins and rose from the dead? Have you received the LORD Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour? If not, then please do not delay: call on Him, and trust Him today.

How can you be saved by calling upon the Son of God? You must understand that:

1) All of mankind have sinned against God, and are guilty before Him.

Romans 3:10 “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:”

Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”

2) The punishment for our sin is separation from God in eternal Hell.

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Revelation 20:14 “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.”

3) Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, died for our sins on the cross, and rose bodily from the grave so that we might be saved from Hell and go to Heaven forever.

Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, …”

4) Religion, good works, baptism, confirmation, nor any other act of man, can save us from Hell. We must put our faith in Christ alone to save us, and call upon His name for forgiveness and salvation.

Romans 10:9, 13 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Ephesians 2:8, 9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

** If you will simply receive God’s gift of eternal life by trusting the Lord Jesus to save you and calling upon His name, you can know for sure that you are going to Heaven. Do you want Jesus Christ to take you to Heaven one day? Do you believe that He will save you if you will ask Him? If you do, then bow your head and pray this simple prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a guilty sinner, and I know I deserve to go to Hell for my sins. I believe that you are God the Son, and that you died for my sins and rose again from the dead. I trust you now as my personal Saviour, and call upon you to save me from Hell and take me to Heaven. Please give to me your free gift of eternal life, and make me your child. Amen.

If you just asked Jesus Christ to save you, and you just put your trust in Him alone for salvation, then you now have God’s gift of eternal life, and are on your way to Heaven. He will never leave you, nor forsake you.

John 10:28,29 “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.”

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