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THE GREAT majority of Christians teach that Jesus Christ is God. However, many unbelievers criticize this teaching, arguing that Jesus is a normal human being like Abraham, David, Paul and Peter.
Christians worship one God revealed in the Old Testament in two ways as the LORD of hosts and the Angel of the LORD (Zecharia 1:12). They co-habit as one God.
The LORD of hosts is the invisible God referred to as the Father while the Angel of the LORD who is the image of the invisible God is referred to as the Son in the New Testament. He is Jesus Chris (Jude 1:5).
The Bible helps us to understand that Jesus Christ was God before the foundation of the world. He was God/Man when He came into the world to die for the salvation of humanity. And He is God after His ascension seated at the right of the Father.
Jesus Christ Proves that He is God
Through His ministrations on earth, Jesus Christ convincingly proved His deity. All men sin, but Christ never sinned (Heb 4:14-16); He promised to be with His servants always to the end of the age (Matt. 28:20); He appeared and spoke to people in dreams and visions (Acts 9:4-5; Acts 18:9). He spoke the way no man could except God (John 7:45-49); He called Himself “I AM”, which is associated with only God.
Christ Jesus did things only God would do: He forgave sins (Luke 5:20); He received worship from angels (Hebrews 1:6); He received worship from men (Matt. 14:33); He knew all people and what was in their hearts (John 2:23-25); He was the angel of the LORD who rescued the Israelites out of Egypt (Jude 1: 5). He is the Lord of the Sabbath, that is, He is the object of worship (Matt. 12:8).
And several passages of Scripture state clearly that He is God. He is the Word of God that is God (John 1: 1- 2). He said He shared glory with the Father before the world existed (John 17: 5).
He said, “I and the Father are one” (John 10: 30). Jesus said whatever the Father has are His and whatever He has are the Father’s. They are one. That is why they both make their home with the believer (John 14: 23).
Our Lord said to Philip that whoever has seen Him has seen God. “If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him. Philip said to him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father…” (John 14:7-11).
If anyone wants to see who God is, they must pray to have a revelation of Jesus Christ. He is the express image of God the Father. We do not need to doubt the Scriptures, but simply believe it. Unless we learn to first believe, we cannot see God and His miracles. In Christianity, we are charged to first believe before we can see (John 11: 40).
Our Saviour’s answer to Philip is also an answer to all Christians and unbelievers who desperately want God shown to them. We need not worry about knowing God because we know Him. A revelation and knowledge of Jesus Christ is the revelation and knowledge of God. A supernatural encounter with Jesus Christ is a divine meeting with God. For Jesus Christ is the express image of God the Father.
Having received this revelatory knowledge and believed it, some of the early Apostles called Jesus Christ, God.
Thomas called Jesus, God and He did not deny it.
“…Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, ‘MY LORD AND MY GOD! (John 20: 26- 28).
Thomas calls Jesus Christ Lord and God and He does not rebuke him but keeps silent. That is an admission on His part that He is God. If He is not God He will deny it.
John called Christ Jesus, God
“No one has ever seen God. BUT THE UNIQUE ONE, WHO IS HIMSELF GOD, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us” (John 1:18).
Again, John reveals the deity of Christ Jesus.
“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” (1 John 5:20).
By James Quansah
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James Quansah is the Executive Director of Christ-Conscious Leadership Centre (CLC) and lead Pastor of End-Time Christ’s Commissioners (ECC), Kumasi, Ghana. James is also a journalist by profession. He is married with four children.
