The Bible contains numerous references and allusions to the divinity of Jesus Christ. Here are some of the strongest biblical arguments for the divinity of Christ:
1. Jesus’s claims about himself
Jesus made several bold claims about his own identity and relationship with God the Father that imply his divinity. For example:
- “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30 ESV)
- “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9 ESV)
- “Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58 ESV) – Jesus invoking the divine name of God (“I AM”) from Exodus 3:14
Jesus claimed to possess equality with God and authority to forgive sins (Matthew 9:6, Mark 2:5-10). His claims provoked charges of blasphemy from the religious leaders, since they recognized that he was claiming divine prerogatives (John 5:18, John 10:33).
2. Jesus’s divine attributes
The New Testament ascribes divine attributes to Christ such as:
- Pre-existence – Christ existed before his incarnation (John 1:1-3, Colossians 1:15-17)
- Omnipotence – Christ has all power and authority (Matthew 28:18, Revelation 1:8)
- Omniscience – Christ possesses divine knowledge (John 2:24-25, John 16:30)
- Omnipresence – Christ fills the universe in his spiritual presence (Matthew 18:20, Matthew 28:20)
- Eternality – Christ possesses eternal life (John 1:2, Revelation 1:17-18)
These divine qualities set Christ apart from any ordinary human being or created being.
3. Jesus’s divine works
Jesus performs divine works that only God can accomplish:
- Forgives sins (Luke 5:20-21, Luke 7:48-49)
- Has control over nature (Mark 4:39-41, John 2:7-9)
- Raises the dead (John 11:38-44, Luke 7:11-15)
- Resurrects himself (John 2:19-21, John 10:17-18)
- Bestows eternal life (John 10:28, John 17:2)
The miraculous signs and wonders Jesus performed gave testimony that he was from God (John 3:2, John 20:30-31).
4. Jesus accepted worship
Jesus accepted acts of worship from people which would be blasphemous if he were not divine. Examples include:
- A leper worshipping him (Matthew 8:2)
- A synagogue ruler worshipping him (Matthew 9:18)
- His disciples worshipping him after the resurrection (Matthew 28:17)
- A blind man worshipping him as the Son of God (John 9:35-38)
- Thomas calling him “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28)
In every case, Jesus received people’s worship and did not correct or rebuke them for it, showing that he considered himself worthy of divine worship.
5. Jesus called God his Father
Jesus frequently referred to God in an intimate, filial way as his “Father” (Matthew 7:21, John 20:17). The Jewish leaders understood this as Jesus “making himself equal with God” (John 5:18). His unique, close relationship with the Father implies his deity.
6. New Testament authors call Jesus God
Several New Testament authors explicitly refer to Jesus Christ as “God” (John 1:1, Titus 2:13, Hebrews 1:8, 2 Peter 1:1). These blunt, direct statements leave no doubt about their belief in Christ’s divinity.
7. Old Testament parallels between God and Jesus
There are several examples where New Testament passages about Jesus mirror Old Testament passages about Yahweh in a way that identifies Jesus with God:
- Compare Joel 2:32 with Romans 10:13 – both equate calling on the name of the Lord with being saved
- Compare Isaiah 45:22-23 with Philippians 2:9-11 – both describe bowing the knee and confessing a name
- Compare Psalm 102:25-27 with Hebrews 1:10-12 – both refer to the creatorship of “Lord”
These parallels signal that Jesus shares the same divine identity as Yahweh.
8. Christ has divine titles
Jesus is referred to using lofty titles that unmistakably signify deity, such as:
- “Lord” – Kyrios in Greek (Romans 10:9, Philippians 2:11)
- “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (1 Timothy 6:15, Revelation 19:16)
- “First and Last” (Revelation 1:17, Revelation 22:13) – a divine title of Yahweh in Isaiah 44:6
- “Alpha and Omega” (Revelation 22:13) – identifying Jesus as the eternal God
- “Immanuel” = God with us (Matthew 1:23, cf. Isaiah 7:14)
These titles would never be used for a mere human Messiah – they unmistakably depict Christ’s deity.
9. Christ possesses divine glory
Jesus is described as possessing the glory of God himself. For example:
- “We have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father” (John 1:14)
- “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)
- “Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” (John 17:5)
The “glory of God” in Scripture is an attribute that only God can rightly possess and give. The fact that Jesus possessed divine glory shows that he shares in the divine identity.
10. Christ exercises divine authority
As God’s Son, Jesus claimed authority to do things only God can do, such as:
- Forgive sins (Mark 2:5-12)
- Judge humanity (John 5:22, 27)
- Rule over the church (Matthew 16:18, Ephesians 1:20-23)
- Dispense eternal life (John 10:27-28)
- Define righteousness (Matthew 5:17-48)
Jesus taught the world God’s truth and exercised divine authority over all realms of life – spiritual, moral, eternal, ecclesiastical, etc. This retiring of divine prerogatives affirms his deity.
11. Christ receives religious devotion
As noted earlier, Jesus received worship from his disciples and other followers. Additionally, the New Testament teaches that our relationship with Jesus should mirror our devotional relationship with God, including:
- Praying to Christ (John 14:14, Acts 7:59)
- Baptizing in Christ’s name (Matthew 28:19, Romans 6:3)
- Communion as sharing in Christ’s body and blood (1 Corinthians 10:16)
- Salvation through faith in Christ (Mark 16:16, John 3:16)
- Doing all things in Christ’s name (Colossians 3:17)
The profoundly religious devotion that Christians are instructed to render to Jesus provides strong evidence for his divinity.
12. Christ possesses immutability
While humans experience change, Jesus is portrayed as unchanging – the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). This immutability is an attribute that only God can rightly possess.
13. Christ participated in creation
The Bible teaches that through Jesus, God “created the world” (Hebrews 1:2) and “all things were created through him and for him” (Colossians 1:16). Christ’s role in creating the universe shows he shares eternality and divinity with the Father (John 1:3).
14. Christ possesses omnipresence
Jesus promises his followers that he will be spiritually present with them always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). Christ also dwells in believers’ hearts through faith (Ephesians 3:17). This omnipresence is a divine attribute shared by Jesus with the Father.
15. Christ shares divine names/natures
Jesus shares various divine titles, names, and natures with the Father, including:
- Yahweh (Isaiah 40:3 cf. Mark 1:3)
- “I Am” (Exodus 3:14 cf. John 8:58)
- Lord of the Sabbath (Genesis 2:3 cf. Matthew 12:8)
- The Holy One (Isaiah 43:15 cf. Mark 1:24)
- The first and the last (Isaiah 44:6 cf. Revelation 1:17)
- Light (Psalm 27:1 cf. John 8:12)
This indicates that Jesus shares the divine nature and majesty.
16. Christ embodies the fullness of deity
Colossians 2 teaches that in Christ “all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell” (Colossians 2:9). Jesus embodies the entirety of God’s nature and character. This strongly supports his divinity.
17. Christ is the ‘exact imprint’ of God’s nature
The writer of Hebrews says that the Son “is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature” (Hebrews 1:3). Jesus reflects the very essence of God’s divine nature – an attribute true only of God Himself.
In summary, the biblical case for Jesus’s divinity rests on his divine attributes, works, authority, titles, worship, and on explicit statements calling him God. The cumulative case is very strong, showing that Jesus was far more than a human prophet or Messiah, but in fact possessed full deity and equality with God the Father, eternally one with Him.