Is Jesus God?

A Christian who knows his Bible and Can you hear the Messiah lyrics
has a clear picture of God can be going through your head? Isaiah
telling the truth when he says, "Jesus prophecies about the coming Christ.
Is Jesus God? If you answered with a is God", and at the same time, the Jesus fulfills this prophecy when he is
quick, firm "yes," read on. Recent person listening (perhaps with a born in Bethlehem. Jesus fulfills more
polls show a whopping 96% of Deist concept of god) may be than 300 Old Testament prophecies
Americans believe in "God." hearing an outright lie. Jesus' divinity when he comes to earth. And only
Obviously, considering the state of is not the only issue at stake here; one being can deserve the title
American Christianity, something God's very identity is under attack Mighty God and Everlasting Father.
doesn't quite add up. Dare we too. Isaiah makes it clear, and people in
assume that 96% of Americans Jesus' time would've known this
believe in the Christian God? Do we passage. Christ is God.
all have the same "god" in mind Some readers might affirm that
when we confess faith? "Jesus is the God of Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob" in order to eliminate 1 Corinthians [Link] "Yet for us there
many pluralistic gods. But where is one God, the Father, from whom
Now think about the center of does that leave our Jewish friends, are all things and for whom we exist,
Christian apologetics: that Jesus since they would easily affirm the and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through
Christ is God. Please don't same statement? You might say, whom are all things and through
excommunicate me just yet, but if "Jews and Christians share the same whom we exist."
you were to ask me, "Is Jesus God?" I God! It's just about Jesus that we
would respond with another don't see eye to eye." By saying this,
question. "Which 'god' are we talking Christians make a glaring The Bible doesn't beat around the
about?" Most evangelical Christians, misrepresentation of Yahweh - the bush. Jesus isn't supposed to be a
when sharing the Gospel, assume Great I Am. mere moral teacher. He claimed
that Jesus' identity is in question, deity multiple times. As C.S. Lewis
while God's isn't. In other words, we famously put it, this would either
think everyone basically agrees with God is not God apart from Jesus. It is make him out to be a liar, a lunatic,
us about who God is, and so all we pointless to try to define the God of or Lord. Because Jesus fulfilled what
must do is simply proclaim Jesus' Abraham, Isaac and Jacob apart from he promised to do (resurrect from
divine link to Him. Jesus Christ. That is the pluralistic the dead and offer salvation) we
problem plaguing so many Christian know that he is then Lord.
factions today. Since you can't
God's Identity explain the Bible's God without
involving the Trinity, you can never Is Jesus God - The Triune
fully explain how "Jesus is God" God
Declaring the divinity of Jesus by makes any sense at all.
stating matter-of-factly that He is
God does not really resolve anything Since Christians believe in a triune
until we have painted the biblical Let's take a look at some Bible God - Yahweh in three Persons:
picture of the true God. Yet in the verses that talk about this. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we
past 200 years, fundamentalists and actually undermine the divinity of
evangelicals have defended Christ's John [Link] "And the Word became Christ by claiming that our God is the
divinity without stopping to consider same as that of our Jewish friends. As
flesh and dwelt among us, and we
how God's identity is also under Christians, we believe Jesus is so
have seen his glory, glory as of the
attack. Why? Liberal theologians important that you can't define God's
only Son from the Father, full of
have taught that Jesus was not divine identity apart from Him.
and should not be worshipped as grace and truth."
God in the flesh. Conservative
Christians have rightly recoiled from So what's the answer? What can help
The Word, the logos, the all- us get through some of the
such heresy, but while simply sustaining principle, dwelt among us.
affirming Jesus' deity might stifle the theological red tape and bring us to
This verse captures the idea of the the point where we can once again
theologians, it provokes a "so what?" Incarnation. That Jesus came down to
from the person on the street. make a firm statement for the
earth to live with us. Gospel?

"Jesus is God" can't be true until we John [Link] "I and the Father are
get past all the other "gods" Here's the statement that I
one.” recommend you chew on a little bit:
masquerading under the Christian
"God" label. Muslims worship an GOD IS JESUS. When you see Jesus,
impersonal, distant "god" (Allah, in Jesus makes it clear. In fact, on you are seeing God, not just because
Arabic), but is the Muslim-god the multiple occasions, he faces near- Jesus is God, but also because God is
same as ours? Most Americans will death because of it. People attempt Jesus. Jesus is the One who shows us
line up to sing "God bless America." to stone him when he makes a deity who God is and what God is like.
Yet considering the Deist beliefs of claim. In fact, it's the very reason
several of our forefathers (and a why he dies on a cross. Because the Of course, "God is Jesus" is a
growing segment of the population Israelites and religious leaders knew statement that has its own
today), this Clockmaker-god does exactly what he was claiming. And interesting theological snags. We can
nothing more than put the clock they didn't like it. start heading backward by asking,
together, wind it up, put it up on a
"Which Jesus is God?" since people
shelf, and go about His business or
Isaiah [Link] "For to us a child is don't agree on Jesus' identity either!
back to His rocking chair. If the god
Still, I believe we can more easily
that is in mind is one of these, saying born, to us a son is given; and the
define Jesus' identity and how it
"Jesus is God" is incorrect. Jesus government shall be upon his
relates to God's Person than we can
definitely is not that god. shoulder, and his name shall be try to go the other way around.
called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty
God, Everlasting Father, Prince of
What Does the Bible Say Peace."
about 'Is Jesus God'?