The question of whether Jesus is God in the flesh is central to the Christian faith. The Bible provides ample testimony that affirms Christ’s divinity and his oneness with God the Father. While also affirming Christ’s humanity as the Son of God, Scripture points to Jesus being much more than a man – he is the eternal God incarnate. As John 1:1 (ESV) declares, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Below we will examine key biblical evidence that demonstrates Jesus is God in the flesh:
1. Jesus claimed to be God
Jesus made radical claims that would be blasphemous for any mere man to make about himself. In John 8:58 (ESV) Jesus declared, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” “I am” was the name God gave himself when speaking to Moses from the burning bush in Exodus 3:14. The Jewish religious leaders clearly understood Jesus was claiming equality with God as they picked up stones to kill him for blasphemy after this and other audacious statements (John 10:33). Additionally, Jesus stated in John 10:30 (ESV), “I and the Father are one.” The religious officials wanted to stone Jesus for this pronouncement as well, because he was claiming that he and God are united in nature and essence.
Jesus also permitted worship of himself. When Thomas called Jesus “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28), Jesus did not correct or rebuke him for worshiping him. Jesus also received worship from the disciples after the resurrection (Matthew 28:17). As a first century Jew, Jesus would know that only God is to be worshipped, yet he accepted sincere worship, implying he is God.
Furthermore, Jesus identified himself with divine functions that only God can accomplish, such as having authority to raise the dead and judge mankind on God’s behalf: “The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.” (John 5:22-23). And, “Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.” (John 5:28-29). Jesus audaciously operating in roles reserved only for God is incompatible with him being merely a prophet or good teacher.
2. The writers of the New Testament proclaimed Christ’s deity
The New Testament epistles frequently proclaim the divine nature of Christ. Colossians 1:15-17 (ESV) calls Jesus, “The image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” This passage declares that the Son of God created and sustains the universe, an ability reserved for God alone.
The author of Hebrews, widely attributed to Paul, provides a lengthy argument for Christ’s preeminence over the angels on the basis of Jesus being God’s divine Son and the one whom the Father directly addresses (Hebrews 1). Verses 8-9 state, “But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”” The Father calls the Son “God”, indicating Jesus is fully divine.
In Titus 2:13, Paul refers to “our great God and Savior Jesus Christ”. 2 Peter 1:1 states that through Christ’s righteousness believers have obtained faith “in our God and Savior Jesus Christ”. And Romans 9:5 praises Christ as “God over all, blessed forever.” Scripture is clear in equating Christ with God.
3. The miracles of Jesus demonstrate his divine nature
The works and miracles of Jesus, unprecedented in all history, point strongly towards his claims of deity. Jesus walked on water (Mark 6:48), calmed raging storms (Mark 4:39), healed every disease and sickness (Matthew 4:23), opened the eyes of the blind (John 9:1-7), and raised several people from the dead, most famously Lazarus who had been dead for four days (John 11:1-45). His miracles prompted Nicodemus, a religious leader, to acknowledge, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” (John 3:2).
If Jesus was merely a prophet or good moral teacher, as some claim, he would not have the power over nature and spiritual forces that Jesus demonstrated. His miracles over physics, medical infirmities, and death itself point to Jesus being much more than a special human – they affirm his divine nature as God in the flesh.
4. Jesus possessed divine attributes like omniscience
Not only did Jesus perform works only God can do, at times he exhibited knowledge of matters that are exclusively in God’s domain. Jesus knew the thoughts of men, including the secret motivations in their hearts, a type of omniscience that no mere man possesses. When the Pharisees were quietly thinking evil thoughts against Jesus, he confronted them saying, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?” (Matthew 9:4). Jesus also perceived the heart of Simon Peter before Peter answered his question (John 1:42).
Jesus knew future events only God could know, such as when and how Peter would betray him (Matthew 26:34), the details of his death and resurrection (Mark 8:31), prophesies about the destruction of Jerusalem (Luke 19:41-44), and the end times (Matthew 24). As John 16:30 (ESV) states, “Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that you came from God.” Jesus supernaturally knew “all things”, a divine attribute he could not have if he was only human.
5. Jesus received honor and glory due only to God
Not only does Scripture directly call Jesus “God” as we’ve seen, it also gives Jesus honor and glory that should be reserved for God alone. Isaiah 42:8 declares, “I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other.” Yet John 17:5 records Jesus requesting the Father, “And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” Jesus shares the Father’s glory, because he is God.
In a similar vein, Psalm 148:13 exhorts, “Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted.” But Philippians 2:9-10 says God exalted Christ’s name above all names, “so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” The Bible equates Christ with Yahweh, possessing the highest name.
Jesus also receives honor equal with God the Father. John 5:23 teaches to “honor the Son, just as they honor the Father.” And Hebrews 1:6 commands angels to worship the Son, contrasting Old Testament verses like Exodus 20:3 that forbid worshiping anyone but the Lord.
6. Jesus claimed authority and sovereignty belonging to God
In the Great Commission, Jesus claims to have been given complete authority in heaven and earth (Matthew 28:18). He says in John 10:18 (ESV), “No one takes [my life] from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again.” The power over life and death belongs to God alone, yet Jesus asserted he voluntarily laid down his life and would resurrect himself.
Jesus forgave people’s sins during his ministry on earth as recounted in passages like Mark 2:5–12. Since sin is an offense against holy God, only God has the authority to forgive sins against himself. Jesus healing a paralyzed man and declaring his sins forgiven incensed the religious leaders who recognized Jesus was claiming a right reserved only for the Lord.
The prerogatives Jesus assumed over nature, spiritual forces, future events, life, death, judgment, glory, honor, and forgiveness of sins demonstrate his claim to exercise the sovereign rights of God. This affirms that Christ is no mere man or prophet, but the divine Son who reigns with God the Father.
7. The testimony of God the Father and the Holy Spirit confirm Christ’s deity
At Jesus’ baptism by John, the Father’s voice from heaven declared, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17). On the Mount of Transfiguration God affirmed again from a bright cloud, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” (Matthew 17:5). 2 Peter 1:17 explains this was God the Father honor and glorifying Jesus, his divine Son.
Jesus promised his followers that “when the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth…He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you” (John 16:13-14). The Holy Spirit inspired the writers of the New Testament to testify to Christ’s identity as fully God and fully man. Trinitarian doctrine recognizes that the Holy Spirit works in harmony with God the Son, rather than opposing Christ’s claims of deity.
Moreover, Jesus states that the Holy Spirit will only speak what he hears from the Son and Father (John 16:13-15). Rather than counter Jesus’ claims of divinity, the Spirit affirms Christ’s teachings about his oneness with the Father.
The joint testimony of the Father, Son, and Spirit decisively confirms that Jesus is God in the flesh. To deny this central tenet of Christian doctrine is to pit oneself against the triune God of Scripture.
8. Old Testament prophesies affirm the deity of the Messiah
Hundreds of years before Christ’s birth, the Old Testament prophesied the coming Messiah would be Immanuel, which means “God with us” (Isaiah 7:14). It says he will be called “Mighty God” (Isaiah 9:6) and that the Lord himself will give them a sign from heaven in the form of a child born to be our savior (Isaiah 7:14).
Passages like Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 3:1 speak of God coming to earth, consistent with the incarnation of Christ. And Psalm 110:1 remarkably has the Lord (Yahweh) telling “my Lord” (Adonai) to sit at his right hand, until he makes his enemies his footstool. Jesus applies this verse to himself in Mark 12:35-37, implying he is the divine Adonai who shares authority with Yahweh.
The Old Testament hints at plurality within the one God, foreshadowing New Testament revelation of the Trinity. Genesis 1:26 has God saying, “Let us make man in our image.” Passages like Psalm 110 and others strongly suggest the Messiah is God himself coming to save his people, validated by Jesus being God incarnate.
9. Jesus receives titles and attributes belonging to God alone
Scripture bestows titles and roles on Christ that can only be attributed to God. For example, Jesus is given the titles “Alpha and Omega” (Revelation 1:8, 22:13) and “First and Last” (Revelation 1:17, 2:8) which both refer to God in Isaiah 44:6. 1 Timothy 6:14-16 describes Jesus as “King of kings and Lord of lords”, titles reserved for God alone (Deuteronomy 10:17, Psalm 136:3).
Colossians 2:9 says, “In Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.” Jesus embodies the complete divine nature. Colossians 1:19 claims God was pleased to have his fullness dwell in Christ. Hebrews 1:3 depicts Jesus as the Creator and Sustainer, “sustaining all things by his powerful word”, a strictly divine role. And Acts 20:28 tells us God purchased the church with his own blood, a reference to Christ’s atoning death.
In Christ the attributes of omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, self-existence, immutability, and eternity are ascribed to Jesus, along with sovereignty over the universe. Scripture unmistakably gives Christ the qualities and character that only God can possess.
10. Jesus accepted worship as God
As mentioned earlier, Jesus accepted types of praise and worship that would be idolatrous and blasphemous if he were not truly God. A key example is in Matthew 14:33, when his disciples who saw him walk on water “worshiped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.'” Jesus did not refuse or rebuke this worship, consistent with him being divine.
Revelation 5:8 depicts the 24 elders and four living creatures falling down before the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, with harps and golden bowls of prayers as worship. Hebrews 1:6 directly commands the angels to worship Jesus. And in Matthew 28:9, Mary Magdalene greeted the risen Christ by clasping his feet in adoration. Unlike human servants of God who reject worship (Acts 10:25-26), Jesus welcomed heartfelt worship as Emmanuel, “God with us”.
Conclusion
The cumulative biblical testimony overwhelmingly shows Jesus Christ is God manifested in the flesh. From his divine claims, miracles, sinless life, authority, titles, attributes, sovereignty, prerogatives, glory, honor, and worship, no one can reasonably deny that Scripture presents Christ as fully man and fully God. While remaining distinct from the Father in their persons, Christ declares and embodies the very nature of God in human form. To encounter Christ is truly to meet God face to face.